How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.33 | 261 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 176 |
| Negatively | 44 |
| No change | 43 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.90 | 261 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.21 | 171 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.53 | 157 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 0 |
| Virtual | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 1 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 1 |
| 20 minutes | 1 |
| 25 minutes | 5 |
| 30 minutes | 35 |
| 35 minutes | 18 |
| 40 minutes | 24 |
| 45 minutes | 50 |
| 50 minutes | 31 |
| 55 minutes | 3 |
| 60+ minutes | 102 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 258 |
| At a regional location | 0 |
| At another location | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 258 |
| In a group | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 230 |
| Closed file | 27 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.33 | 261 |
"Practiced MMI scenarios"
"MMI Prep"
"MMI online training"
"Watched MMI videos on youtube and mock interviews."
"Read up on practice MMIs"
"MMI prep book, learned a lot about the school and how I related to their mission."
"Reread application and read website"
"I read through my AMCAS app, as well as my secondary, and read through practice MMI questions while formulating a proper response method."
"Looked up possible ethics questions and SDN"
"General MMI prep. Reviewed application."
"I didn't"
"Researched practice MMI ethical questions, practiced answering questions with friends, reviewed my application"
"Looked over practice MMI cases."
"talked to others who had done MMI style interviews, read about MMI online, think about various "ethical" situations before-hand"
"SDN, re-read AMCAS, read about MMI questions"
"Sdn, practice, review application"
"This website, reviewed AMCAS + secondary application"
"Reviewed my PS, EC descriptions, and common questions (why MD, why Albany etc.). Read my answers aloud (this was very important)."
"SDN, school website (wasn't really helpful). AMCAS and supplemental application."
"SDN interview feedback, Albany Med site"
"Common questions, reviewed current events, SDN"
"Interview feedback page on SDN along with some interview prep books"
"SDN, essays, sample questions"
"SDN, school's website, looked up sample ethical questions"
"Reading the NYTimes articles on healthcare and the latest healthcare/science/medical news, researching the school via the website and SDN"
"By being true to myself and ensuring I could clearly and concisely describe why I want to be a physician and the path I had taken that lead me to be interviewed that day"
"SD network"
"Listened to a mock interview that I had done, kinda prepared for ethical issues (but was not asked any ethical questions)."
"Re-read application, read SDN interview questions"
"Reviewed my application and looked at SDN interview feedback"
"SDN, brushing up on ethical issues, reading news, rereading AMCAS and secondary essays."
"Questions. mock interview and just getting in the mood for the entire thing."
"Read about healthcare online, SDN feedback, school's website, read Better & Complications by Atul Gawande (great stuff), ask questions from my student-host"
"SDN, AMC website"
"Read everything on school website, researched AMC's achievements, thoroughly went through AMCAS"
"read the website, sdn"
"Read up about the school, its mission"
"re-read my application"
"SDN, ethics websites, articles about styles of healthcare and management, news about the debate, practice with friends and family"
"Practiced interview questions with about 6-7 doctors. They each focused on slightly different things when asking questions (e.g., one focused heavily on ethics and others tended to ask about experiences or my personality). I also read 3-4 white and green papers on various bioethics topics, but I was not asked specifically about anything I learned from these. In addition I watched the healthcare debate series on youtube (very informative) and read about a dozen newspaper articles on the debate. Last, I read the "Pfizer Medical School Manual", which contains lots of practice interview questions and useful tips for interviewing. It is inexpensive to purchase online (I paid less than $10 for the book and S/H). I bought the 2007 edition by Mike Magee."
"Read a lot about bioethics."
"AMCAS, MSAR, Website"
"SDN interview feedback, UW ethics site"
"SDN, reviewed ethics and healthcare questions"
"Read my application over again"
"Read up on Albany, thought about myself as a person and physician"
"SDN, multiple ethics books and reviewing previous staged applications (AMCAS & Secondary)."
"SDN interview feedback"
"Read SDN interview feedback."
"Visited school website and read SDN feedback."
"SDN, medical ethics websites"
"reviewed my application."
"Read up on ethical questions, read the AMC website, reviewed my application"
"Read up on ethics & Obama's health care plan"
"Read up on medical ethics, health care policy, took a personal inventory"
"reread application materials and looked on SDN"
"Read the website"
"I actually thought it would be more difficult so I spent about a day going over medical ethics issues and reading up about philosophers (they love philosophy there)...Many other people said they got 10+ ethics questions, but I guess my interviewer was more interested in just having a chat with me."
"This website, UW Bioethics website, mock interview."
"SDN/Mock Interiew"
"Watched the news, sat down and thought through why I believe what I do in regards to ethical issues in medicine. "
"sdn, ethics questions, previous interviewee"
"Wasted my time prepping for an ethics examination, but apparently others were given ethics questions. SDN, re-read primary and secondary apps."
"Researched common subjects online, met with doctors to discuss them, practiced questioning myself the night before."
"MSAR, SDN Interview Feedback, Albany Medical College Website, and using my experience from previous interviews."
"Read over my app--went to the website"
"SDN, application, AMC website"
"SDN, MSAR, List of Questions from Premed Advisor"
"Read Albany's website, SDN"
"Talked to current AMC students, mock interview w/ an interviewer at another med school (I didn't get an interview there)"
"Previous interviews, reading the newspaper, articles in The New Yorker."
"Nothing, 8th interview...8th times a charm?"
"SDN, reviewed application documents point-by-point, formulated & wrote out responses to common interview questions."
"SDN, NY Times Health section, watching the news to keep up with current events"
"reread my application, read school's website"
"SDN, spoke with friends that go there"
"SDN, forums, friends"
"sdn, amcas"
"Read a book about med school interviews, this site, read Albany Med website"
"Reviewed my AMCAS, SDN"
"I read up on the school as much as possible. I didn't really know anyone who went there, so I didn't have the opportunity to speak with students until I got there."
"Not much, this was my fourth so the stress level was low. It also helped that I live next to the school so at least the area was familiar."
"Mock interviews, revied medical ethics, practice interview questions, SDN."
"read about school. Was pretty nervous because at the time I still hadn't had any acceptances."
"mock interviews (med students+faculty), read file over, introspection"
"Practice interviews, SDN, reading NYTimes health section every day. "
"SDN, reviewed my file, and reviewed literature on the school."
"SDN, ethics stuff, healthcare sites"
"This was my 7th interview. Reviewed current events, health care issues. Researched the school. SDN."
"SDN, old ethics books, friends."
"read up on medical ethics issues, amc website, student doctor"
"Read SDN, bioethics stuff, reviewed Albany's website"
"didn't really"
"Read over my AMCAS, my abstracts, this site, general ethics stuff."
"this website, re-read my application and essays"
"n/a"
"school's brochure, SDN, reviewed medical ethics, pray"
"Reviewed interview feedback and brushed up on medical ethics"
"SDN, UW ethics page, stem cell research pages, health care delivery book"
"SDN, AMCAS, AMC website, ethics website"
"SDN very helpful - made a list of questions that had been asked before"
"Standard stuff."
"Read Albany website, SDN (a godsend since many of the questions listed here were actually asked), ethics book"
"School website, other interviews"
"SDN site, Albany site"
"I don't."
"Read SDN, MSAR, mock interviews, spoke with alumni"
"SDN, School Brochure, Medical Ethics Book, read over AMCAS and personal statement. "
"Mock, Ethics, AMCAS file"
"had 4 interviews before it...i was sick of preparing so i did nothing :)"
"SDN, interview websites."
"SND, ethics websites, books dealing with healthcare"
"SDN, ethics website"
"sdn, the viewbook"
"SDN interview feedback,school website/literature, friend at AMC"
"Read studentdoctor.net, got a good night's sleep"
"Looked over research, common ethical questions, health care questions, this website."
"SDN"
"Good night's rest."
"read SDN, read ethics site, read newspaper daily, read AMCAS, practiced with friends"
"Practise interview with frends, family and employer/graduate supervisor. PRactised questions on this website"
"I had seven others prior."
"Browsed the website.... nothing else really except wrote some things down that I would say to common questions"
"SDN, read over AMCAS, read other med literature"
"SDN, Ethics text, Econ Text"
"referenced my regret and satisfaction with previous interview performances. "
"Read my AMCAS file, and Interview feedback on SDN"
"SDN, reviewed application, prayed."
"Read school's website, re-read my application, and had my wife ask me interview-type questions. "
"SDN, reviewed ethical questions, read NEJM, AMC website and viewbook."
"SDN, reading the school brochure, checking the school website."
"SDN, online bioethics topics, Secondary app"
"sdn, application"
"thought about ethical questions, sdn"
"Read through my application, AMCAS, and AMC viewbook."
"SDN, read over information received in mail."
"Read SDN, my apps, school brochure, school website, bioethics book and the web"
"SDN, school website, paid attention during the tour"
"SDN, read website."
"school website, sdn, AMCAS app"
"Mock interview, read articles on current events and controversial topics, looked over their viewbook, and read the feedback on SDN"
"SDN, AMC website, previous interviews"
"a mock interview before I left. prayed. "
"SDN, Albany website, reviewed my AMCAS and Albany application"
"SDN, viewbook, etc..."
"read SDN and school website"
"SDN, school brochures, mock interviews, etc."
"Read this site, read school pamphlet, reviewed some ethical topics (online and articles)"
"talked with an advisor, med student friends, practiced answers "
"sdn, amcas, work (research) materials"
"Read this page, read a great bioethics webiste (U of W School of Medicine Bioethics website)"
"Brushed up on common ethical scenarios over a Corona. Really not much-I fortunately just finished a med. ethics course, so I really didn't have to think about it all that much."
"Thought and wrote out answers to 10 very common questions: why Albany, why medicine, what are your strengths, weaknesses, where do you see yourself in 10 years, etc."
"Reviewed this website, read some reader's digest articles, nothing special."
"looked over AMCAS application, SDN, read over ethics, mock interview"
"reread AMCAS and secondary, book on med school apps, info from AMC, conversations with friends"
"SDN, other interviews. "
"read interview feedback, read brochure, read website, read up on ethics, reviewed app"
"Studentdoctor website, Interview feedback pages, read thrugh their material. "
"Seasoned."
"SDN, read up on ethical issues, mock interview at school"
"SDN, Personal statement"
"school web site and publications"
"SDN, read up on ethical issues"
"SDN, read the Albany website, looked over my application, UW ethics site"
"Played video games. Seriously, I did nothing."
"Mock interviews, reading questions and papers from the bioethics class at AMC (posted online @the AMC website)."
"Read SDN, reread application, read book dealing with ethics"
"I asked a friend who goes there about the strong points of AMC. But I was never asked about that anyways."
"This website is very good and a lot of the questions are recycled. AMC website, and AMCAS."
"All the questions that may be asked were posted on the website, they are useful questions even if there you are not applying to the med school."
"SDN, re read personal statement"
"read this website, talked with some doctors about bioethical issues"
"SDN, school website, amcas"
"read SDN, school's website/viewbook"
"Read SDN, UW ethics site, my application."
"read up on med ethics, sdn and that's about it"
"Read-up on current medical ethics issues in the news, reviewed common ethics terms on the Wash U website, SDN, etc. Be very familiar with health care issues, and different ethical scenarios. I didn't get too many but other people interviewing with me said they got bombarded with these types of questions."
"None. Seasoned interviewer! This was my 7th interview!"
"Read the site, but basically winged it."
"SDN, my AMCAS application, but really just relax and have fun...this is an opportunity to get to know the school "
"Read the AMC viewbook, MSAR, looked at SDN."
"SDN; school brochure"
"web site"
"Read over my application"
"read my AMCAS, website"
"This site, their catalog, previous interviews."
"read the bulletin, SDN, Albany's website"
"School's website, read over current bioethical issues, interviewfeedback.com"
"SDN, AMC website, supp app, etc."
"read interview feedback. "
"knew my file..what I wrote in the essays...reasons for applying to Albany"
"I just went over my application. I did not know about thi website or the school's emphasis on ethical questions which would have been helpful."
"Read SDN, went over my app, and albany's website"
"This website; Read over Albany's information packet (located online)"
"Read some bio ethics because I heard that they emphasize bioethics."
"Application Material, School Website, Prospectus"
"Read newspapers, ethics books, reviewed application material and looked at the school website."
"didn't prepare just relaxed and went out the night before with medical students, which I highly recommend."
"i didnt, i found out i had interview 2 days before the interview date."
"Bioethics websites, AMC's website, newspapers for current events."
"Read interview feedback for AMC, reviewed application, read info about the school sent by the Admissions Office."
"This website, the school's handbook, my application"
"Read post here. Read news on current health topics."
"Read this site and my application."
"This website, read over my secondary, read up on euthanasia, pain management, reprodictive technologies"
"reading papers, magazines, websites, school information, amcas essay"
"Read my application & info about the school"
"Read about ethical issues in medicine, my supplemental application and my AMCAS application"
"this website, the AMC website, and re-reading my app and secondary app"
"This website & reviewed my AMCAS application."
"this site, Albany website, bioethics.org"
"SDN, reviewed major ethics issues, mock interviews."
"Mock interviews, commitee interviews, SD.net, friends, read website "
"read this site, boned up on medical ethics questions"
"Read this website"
"Read this site, read their website, read up on ethical issues, re-read my application materials, got as much sleep as possible!"
"Read this website. Reviewed my application"
"website, brochure, amcas"
"Read SDN's interview feedback."
"Mock interviews, reviewed ethics, read over application, researched school"
"Read the Website and this site"
"Checked out the school's website, reread my applications, read this website"
"read my AMCAS, school's website"
"I reread my application and reviewed the packet about the school."
"Read up on ethical issues online - bioethics.org - because I had heard Albany's reputation for asking ethical questions."
"Read about the school through their brochure and the internet, reviewed my application, etc."
"Didn't."
"Read my application, read this website."
"I visited the school a year and a half before I interviewed there. I read this and the medical school's website."
"InterviewFeedback.com, read school catalog, re-read my AMCAS and secondary. I also printed out some articles on ethical topics such as physician-assisted suicide, cloning, stem cells, etc."
"Read up on school, interviewfeedback.com"
"read interview feedback, reread my app., looked up stuff about Albany...this was my 9th interview, so I didn't do anything special"
"The support"
"The students"
"The interviews were really relaxed and conversational."
"School really emphasized wellness, a lot of the students we talked to over the course of the day expressed that they felt well-supported and that the faculty is always accessible for accommodations and help whenever you need it."
"The student camaraderie seemed favorable."
"The attached hospital is a very impressive regional facility that gets some cool cases"
"Very friendly and low-stress"
"The environment with the current students was very calm and positive."
"The students are very happy. Receptive faculty who seem to genuinely care for the facility."
"The students were very friendly."
"The faculty and staff here seem to go way above and beyond to support their students, and Albany Med Center seems like an excellent place to learn medicine"
"student happiness, proximity to hospital"
"Happiness level of students, emphasis on clinical skills that prepare students very well for Step 2"
"I had been led to believe the surrounding area was terrible. It really isn't that bad and has a certain charm to it."
"Apparently, Albany has an excellent match record. They also have a very convenient lecture system, and housing is pretty inexpensive in nearby areas."
"good match list (though I found this online, not at the interview), students seemed happy, very quick decision turn-around time. I also liked that even though Albany is so isolated, this can be a good thing in terms of AMC having in essence a monopoly over medical care in the area so students get to see great stuff and are not in competition with other nearby medical students/facilities."
"Small school vibe was nice"
"Everyone was very friendly, especially the students. New facilities seemed nice."
"Students were very cool and laid back. Descriptions of their experiences (pros vs cons) were genuine and they praised the atmosphere of AMC as being very supportive of the students."
"The interviewer was very amicable and easy to talk to."
"How all the facilities were connected, this could be beneficial during snowy weathers."
"Decent match list, new clinical sim lab, happy students"
"The friendliness of the admissions staff and students"
"Friendliness of director"
"The students were very happy and work together. the curriculum seems great."
"Curriculum at the school seems great"
"The admissions staff is really nice, and the interviews are pretty laid-back"
"The atmosphere of the student body was great"
"How happy the students seemed"
"Students seem happy, the day was pretty stress-free and easygoing."
"Students seem satisfied."
"The student body is very cohesive, and faculty seem very involved with student body"
"Everything - first school I felt that really understood me and I walked out of the interview wanting to know more about the school Students were very non-competitive and friendly"
"Great student camaraderie, very friendly and accessible faculty, medical school and medical center are right next to each other, a lot of research opportunities."
"Albany students were very happy with their school. Students are very close-knit and collaborative."
"Everyone was very friendly, very laid-back and conversational. They genuinely want to get to know you better and not just to freak you out. There is a strong emphasis on producing great doctors, and most faculty are there because they WANT to teach/mentor, not just because teaching is part of the job description."
"I enjoy the staff, professors and Administration and how nice and receptive they were to me."
"Close-knit community at the school"
"students here were really friendly and seemed quite happy"
"The medical center is big. They have over 650 beds, and patients from all over the New England and New York area are admitted. It is the only major tertiary care center in the area."
"really intimate environment. It seems like the students are really happy."
"Nice hospital (though under renovation), friendly admissions office, great lunch, decent facilities"
"friendliness of students"
"Community feeling, overall satisfaction of students and faculty, technological changes being made."
"-Themed learning -Has a good cafeteria (great veggie burgers and nice interior decoration) -The hospital and school are physically connected (minimizes transit time) -The current students I spoke to stated that 85% of students pass each class and the rest do even better, thereby creating a non-competitive environment where everyone helps each other learn and almost everyone gets the same grade -There are 6 students per cadaver in anatomy labs. The students take turns being responsible for dissection and prosection. Because each student does not need to dissect every single thing, this reduces the number of anatomy lab hours needed, hence saving students' time. -Typical housing is an apartment within 5 blocks of campus at a monthly rent of $400-600. The area has a low cost of living -Student body seemed relatively tight-knit -Nice library where students spend a lot of time studying. Open until midnight on weekdays and about 10 on weekends -Good preparation for USMLE step 1: 50% of exam questions are from past USMLE's -Weather was fine (although the ground can collect up to 3' of snow in the winter). -There is a "den mother" - a faculty member who is (voluntarily, I believe) available to help students with any questions, concerns, or problems that might arise -Reasonable amount of time for outside activities during first year, such as club basketball (not so much free time during second year though) "
"I like the small size of the school."
"School is actually really cool, people are nice, diversity of population can really be beneficial during clerkships"
"The interviewers were very nice and I got NO ethnics questions thankfully. The healthcare question wasn't posed in an antagonistic way, it was more of a conversation topic. The faculty seems very dedicated to teaching. I liked that there was no big undergrad overshadowing the med school, so focus is on med education. School is very conducive to studying so I think the students study very well and do well on USMLE. Can do some rotations anywhere in the country. "
"gorgeous New England, large and impressive hospital"
"The students, the admin staff was great, and the facilities (although old, the education there seemed top notch and opportunities were definitely there for research, clinical experiences etc)"
"Emphasis on humanism and bioethics -- not bs, since the College housed the Am Journal of Bioethics for years. I liked being attached to a major hospital. The students were happiest/most collegial I had seen, having interviewed at two top 10 schools. The school has a long history, and actually an impressive list of alums, ala their wiki page. As a history buff, I think it's kinda cool to have alumni who were decorated Union Army, World War I, and WW II surgeons. "
"Everything-- my interviewers were very intelligent and accomplished, the students were happy and friendly, the city seems charming and interesting"
"All of the staff seemed to take pride in AMC; my interviewer had been with AMC for almost 30 years."
"The admissions office was friendly, lunch was good."
"The admissions staff was friendly, lunch was good."
"Albany is a capital city with a rich history. There are museums and capital buildings to tour and a lot of nice views for people willing to look for them. There's plenty of housing within walking distance of the school, and the cost of living is reasonable. The school is attached to one of its affiliated hospitals. I met several pleasant and encouraging people in the area. The school has everything needed to provide a high-quality medical education. It's up to the student to take advantage of it."
"My second interviewer did NOT try to make my experience as pleasant as possible and I actually respect these kinds of interviews a lot more. He was honest about the school and said several negative things about it, and his questions were intended to challenge me. In general, people at AMC felt very low-key and honest; the interview experience did not feel like a commercial for their school, which is the case for a lot of schools."
"The people who are there seem truly happy - physicians, students, secretaries. Everyone. Seems like you can get a lot of good clinical training in your first two years if you have a little initiative."
"Well regarded school in my area."
"The diversity of the class."
"balance b/t small city life and more rural areas, great class camaraderie/good vibe from students, board style exams, many UG campuses in area, theme-based curriculum, cheap rent, free parking, can do rotations outside of Albany, can rely entirely on syllabus, tablet will have all pre-loaded lecture notes/syllabi, nice student lounge (pool table, foosball, plasma), Choices Cafe"
"The tight-knit student body"
"Admissions staff, ethical training, sense of camaraderie among students"
"very little really. the food was good. the people in the admissions office were nice."
"The hospital is part of the medical school making it easily accessible. The faculty seems open to having students shadow them."
"I really liked how they have lectures on how to change the medical system as a whole and how we can do better. They really stress integrity. Albany seems like a very liberal place, very cheap, very diverse. The hospital and the lecture halls are in the same building. THE LUNCH WAS GOOD!"
"Students seemed pretty happy, big hospital, faculty seemed approachable, diverse student population, exams are apparently all online."
"The students really seemed to like the school and the staff looks like they provide a lot of support to students. I absolutely LOVE the theme based approach. It really makes sense to learn information this way."
"Small class size, small and easy to navigate campus, decent area in a smaller city."
"how cheap the rent, parking stress free, how much the students like it there. "
"My interviewers! The faculty we met were great, and the admissions staff very friendly."
"The students in the program took around and showed us a cadaver."
"The proximity of the hospital to the medical school, and the lecture hall was pretty nice. Level I Trauma Center where you can shadow emergency physicians, and ride along in the helicopter to experience transporting patients/organs. "
"The staff and students were really nice. "
"All the students were extremely happy and all spoke highly of the school (even those not affiliated with the admissions committee)."
"The staff and faculty were VERY friendly. They seemed to care about the wellbeing of the students. The town was also much better than I thought it would be. (Wasn't expecting too much)"
"Fantastic interview experience. Everyone on the admissions staff, the students, and my interviewer made me feel very comfortable. Great hospital. Looks very busy and has a level 1 Trauma. The interview was the lowest stress interview I have ever had."
"Enthusiasm of students about the school, relaxed and helpful staff, everyone was down to earth, no ''this is why we're so great'' attitude."
"How friendly everyone was, and how happy the tourguides seemed to be. Also, rent is really cheap around Albany, and right outside of the city are a lot of good places for hiking, skiing etc."
"Friendly students."
"Everyone was SO friendly. Seems like AMC goes out of the way to keep students happy. Students weren't miserable."
"The students who gave the tour were very nice, helpful and seemed happy with the school. Also, the interviewers were relaxed, friendly and approachable."
"students seemed excited about the school, they are trying to improve the facilities, evidence based learning seemed like an interesting idea"
"It's in Albany and I know Albany? I don't know... nothing really."
"how laid back the students were, the excellent clinical facilities (the main teaching hospital is a level 1 trauma center!), the option to do a combined degree"
"nothing"
"office of admissions is very warm. they walked me in, took me calls, walked me out, gave me coffee and food, and took care of all the interviewees' needs."
"Everyone was nice and helpful."
"Admissions and faculty were incredibly nice and helpful, students were enthusiastic and seemed very capable of balancing the rigors of medical school with that of a normal, sociable life"
"Its very small, so its really personal. The professors don't get paid to teach, so they are there because they actually want to be there, which is amazing."
"Almost everything... EVERYone is very nice, helpful, and likes to have fun while at the same time being very professional. My interviewers were FANTASTIC. I felt like I had made two friends at the end of it all and yet they were still asked the most difficult probing questions I have ever had to answer. The facilities while not fantastic were good where it counted (ie labs looked brand spanking new with 30'' plasma tvs but the hallway outside looked like it was falling apart). Also, the clinical experience here is great. They have everything within the teaching hospital short of a burn center."
"housing is cheap. the taxi drivers in albany also happen to be fluent in english. that's pretty rare... though it speaks nothing of the quality of the medschool."
"How enthusiastic and helpful the staff, students, and faculty were. I felt that Albany itself was a pretty town."
"Personal attention (never got any as an undergrad), diversity of students interviewing. "
"city wasn't as bad as i had heard it was going to be"
"Emphasis on primary care and flexibility of the programs. Lots of patient contact if you want it."
"The school really seems to care about its students, primary care, and offering an innovative curriculum. The capitol region of NY offers a number of different outdoor activities. Everyone was incredibly friendly! "
"Enthusiastic tour guides"
"the students who took us around were really nice."
"The students seemed pretty laid back. The lunch was surprisingly tasty. How the anatomy lab is set up."
"The students, the staff"
"amc is really dedicated to ethics-- they have an extremely progressive and enlightened ethics curriculum that very much impressed me. they also offer a masters in medical ethics, and you can complete the md/ ma in 5 years. also, the hospital services all of upstate new york as well as western mass. so the campus is certainly very busy. the students seem to have a lot of power, and the administration def. seems to cater to the needs of their students."
"The students really seem to like one another, the faculty, and the school. they're all very enthusiastic and seem happy to be there"
"students were cool people and happy, albany is a nicer place than i expected, rural rotations, opportunities, mostly the students"
"Not much. I actually came to the interview expecting a lot more from Albany, but was very disappointed. The other interviewees were very cool however, and I would love to be their classmate - at another school!"
"The unity between students and faculty and everyone's enthusiasm. "
"The students seemed pretty happy even though they pay a pretty penny to go there."
"that my interviewer is one of the nicest persons I have met and was really interested to get to know me. I felt that I could really express myself."
"Enthusiasm of students and other interviewees."
"EVERYTHING! The admissions staff were so helpful. I noticed immediately how cared for the students were. This place really makes sure the students stay as free of stress as possible. They are also sooo cohesive as a group, which I really liked. They were so excited to be there. Plus, it was warmer than expected."
"the focus on medical education - students indicated receiving a lot of attention from the professors and administration, and they all seemed pretty clost-knit."
"Curriculum seems very well received by the students. Hospital facilities are REALLY close and are very nice."
"The student tour guides are smart, interesting, and happy to be at Albany. I was quite impressed with all of them. The students are probably your most important asset. They represent the university and they usually have to interview for the job. The facilities are nice, not wonderful. But are all self-contained in one big complex. The staff and faculty are really nice. I was impressed that Albany takes students from top universities like Harvard, Hopkins, Yale, Michigan, UCLA, Stanford (they may not be the top of their class though). Albany is a nice city but I didn't see much of it. I came away from Albany thinking that if I don't get into a top 20 school, I would love to go there. I was really impressed."
"the sense of comradery among students, and how the school doesnt emphasize competition but rather teamwork. The students dont know their class rank until they graduate. Also, in their lab, each day two student from a group of six learn everything, teach it to the other four, the other four get tested, and all six get the grade of the other four. Therefore you have to teach others well if you want a good grade...really different from the competitive nature of the UC system"
"The research performed is cutting edge, and many profs have significant publications."
"Friendly students who were extremely non-competitive."
"I really liked the curriculum at AMC; integrated aspects and modified p/f basic sciences make it non-competitive. Also liked how the school is completely integrated with the hospital. Area has really cheap cost of living and has a cool, historic feel to it. The faculty seem very"
"Enthusiasm of students was very high, even though they were preparing for an exam. Plus, module-designed curriculum is an intelligent way to learn."
"The 2 faculty who interviewed me were great. It impressed me how they seemed genuinely interested in learning about me, and having a conversation, not an interview. Also, they did an excellent job of matching me with interviewers who had things in common with me--making the interview all the better."
"The staff was very friendly and the students were down-to-earth. Low stress environment with lots of clinical exposure and summers off. Amazing hospitals!"
"faculty and students some of the nicest i've met. i liked how the med campus was just a series of interconnected buildings including the hospital...it was just all continuous which was cool. the med students eat lunch in the hospital cafeteria during the week. the hospital seemed very nice. the proximity to NYC, Boston, Lake Placid, Canada is cool but I wonder how often you would utilize that as a med student. "
"The school is small so students and faculty get a lot of close interaction. Everyone was very nice and neighborly, as expected from a small school."
"Very laid back and the people seemed down-to-earth and genuine"
"the friendliness of the students and staff"
"EVERYONE was very very very nice."
"really cheap cost of living, caring/close group of students"
"The students seemed to enjoy attending Albany and had nothing but positive things to say about it. I was also impressed by how knowledgeable my interviewers were on health care policy and ethics."
"Student housing all around. Quaint environment. Good hospital with lots of opportunities."
"The students and faculty were genuine. I figured that I would be spending the next 2 years with the same people everyday - I didn't want to hang out with a bunch of jerks. I would argue that the school really looks for personalities. "
"My interviewers were personable and easy to talk to, and all the students seemed satisfied with the school."
"the fact that everyone was very friendly and that the school definitely looks out for student wellness"
"How happy students and staff were. Very enthusiastic"
"Nothing at all...the whole place made my skin crawl. "
"Nothing really, except the undergrad scholarship"
"the staff was very friendly and all the other interviewees were very cool. they let you know by the following week if you were accepted or not, so that's a PLUS!!!!"
"Students seem close and happy"
"everything. the school, the mentoring opportunities, the facilities, the housing location relative to the med center, the city, the location of albany (adirondacks to the north, catskills to the south, tons of climbing, kayaking, etc etc)"
"Hmmmmm, basically nothing"
"How happy the students were, including the other interviewees (most seemed like very grounded people,) how laid back the atmosphere was, and how accomididating and encouraging the Director of Admissions, Mrs. Nanos was."
"The students are very happy to be there, and Albany is incredibly charming in the snow. Near NYC, Boston, Canada."
"The students all seemed genuinely happy. The facilities are modern and clean. Several students, who just happened to be walking by, stopped to chat and answer any questions that I had. Also, the Medical College is almost seamlessly linked with Albany Medical Center. You can be in the library, or at class, and then at a patient's bedside in 3 minutes. "
"The friendliness and happiness of the students. A third year walked off the elevator, clearly on his way somewhere, and saw us in our interview clothes and stopped to offer any insights he could on the school. Albany is not a major city but it looked like a nice, safe place to live."
"People there were so friendly, student really like to help eachother out. Awesome clinical experience given right from year one."
"The students were really friendly and helpful. There seems to be a good camradarie b/w the students."
"Campus is nice. Admissions staff, interviewers, and students were very informative and friendly. they even have breakfast out in case you didn't have time to get any!"
"how friendly the students were, how much the students seemed to really like going to school here. "
"The staff in the admissions office was friendly."
"The interviewer practically memorized my application beforehand and had taken notes on stuff that interested him. The students seem to have a lot of say in terms of decisions made (curriculum changes, course offerings, etc.)."
"The graduates get good placement for residencies, and the hospital is busy, good experience. Everyone was very helpful; the interviewers gave me contact information to contact them. Student live near by, walking distance."
"the students were friendly, I also connected well with the people who were in my applicant pool"
"Looks like a very solid program, good community, politically active campus and nice location (for political activism) since Albany is the capital. Good music (Albany symphony) and great public radio in area. Supportive faculty. "
"students very happy there, very student-centered school"
"the hospital seemed to provide a great clinical setting. the admissions people seemed to be very friendly, but what impressed me most where the students who went there... very friendly and non-competitive. I stayed the night at a student's apt. after my interview and they took me around town, bought me some food, and we even watched the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. :)"
"Students seemed very happy and expressed a very collaborative, non-competitive feeling."
"the students were stoked to be there, and were pretty laid back, and supportive of one another."
"Albany is a BEAUTIFUL area. I liked that the school is attached to the hospital."
"How open the admissions staff was, the facilities, the students"
"The students seemed to be happy to be at Albany."
"The school and hospital are connected; students were friendly; nicely organized presentations"
"my interviewer was really nice, she didn't grill or stress me out = plus the other med students interviewing were cool."
"nothing--the sight of an old city smothered in snow was rather depressing"
"Method of teaching: theme-based, very self-directed, small group learning."
"You couldn't ask for a more friendly and supportive staff. They informed me of my acceptance within 4 days. Their residency placements are impressive."
"Admissions staff was super-friendly. My second interviewer, Dr. B, is the man. He's a former Albany grad, obviously bright, a pediatrician in a community hospital, and is really in medicine for all the right reasons. Gave me hope that the next 7-9 years doesn't really have to suck the life and idealism out of you. If a school is churning out great people like him, the school is obviously doing something right. Also, the admissions office got back to me very quickly (within two weeks I had received an acceptance offer.) "
"They do not glorify the first two years. Students are happy and they work together to get through the basic sciences, which I'm guessing are not well taught. However, I interviewed with a 4th year who told me straight up that at Albany the first two years are average, but the clinical years are where Albany really gives youan advantage. Its a strong hospital with excellent clinical training, and the med school has it all to itself. Don't be fooled, the clnical years are the most important part of medical school, and Albany has GREAT clinical training. There are plenty of laid back classmates and fun bars to get you through basic sciences."
"everyone was so nice and friendly--tried to make you feel at home"
"Super friendly people, very helpful, other students interviewing were nice"
"I know that everyone says this, but its true...the students were really friendly and seemed to be happy there. I also liked how someone from the admissions office walked you to your interview instead of handing you a map and making you find your way across a city! The other students interviewing were great! On a side note, If anyone reading this interviewed with me, I would love to hear where you end up (especially the guy who interviewed with the same doctor that I did! We bonded!) I dont want to put my name on this because I dont know if anyone from the school reads it, but I told people that I was going to post something on here about my interview experience and that I was going to say that I interviewed in January (even though that isnt true!). The date I put on here wasnt exact though, but if you think you might know me, email me at [email protected]!"
"friendliness of students, fellow interviewees were pretty cool"
"I liked the students and the administrative staff."
"Faculty involvement."
"Nothing really"
"Students and admissions staff were really friendly. The students seemed to be really happy to be at Albany. 4th year students just stopped by to say hello and good luck for the interview. Also, the rent in Albany is very cheap and Albany is very close to Boston, New York and Montreal. Finally, there are lots of outdoor recreation opportunities nearby (sailing, hiking etc)."
"the students were nice"
"The PEOPLE!!! The students and faculty were very enthusiastic and outgoing. They make you feel very comfortable and so you can really be yourself."
"I liked the students and the people, everyone was very friendly. Housing is cheap in Albany."
"Everything. I was not expecting to come away as excited about Albany as I did. The students and fellow interviewees seemed so nice and happy. That speaks volumes for a school. The facilities were really great and I really appreciate the strong emphasis the school puts on humanities in medicine and ethical eduction during the curriculum."
"First off, everyone was pleasant. Admissions staff, interviewers, our guides, students, everybody. A lot of schools say they have a family-like atmosphere, but I felt it here. The library was huge and the school is close to a lot of other colleges, so there are the resources associated with that. The city itself has nice parks and opportunities for outdoorsie activities, and Manhattan, Boston, and Montreal are all close enough for a weekend trip (without being so close as to be a distraction)."
"The positive attitude of the students and how well they all got along."
"Nice students, nice faculty, generally happy people"
"The student comraderie, the environment is not cut-throat and the students are all friendly and study together. ALso, the module based organ system is a plus."
"supportive environment, friendly students"
"the non-competitive atmosphere of the school and how the school is so closely-knit with the hospital"
"friendliness of the students"
"school seemed very intimate and supportive"
"Both interviewers were familiar with my file. The first one seemed to have studied it inside out. Albany is CHEAP! One student had a 3 bedroom apartment for $750 -- and it was only that "expensive" because he was 30 seconds from campus. The school itself seemed pretty laid back and friendly. I liked the fact that the hospital is right there -- and it's huge."
"interviewers were really friendly to me, the school seemed like a good place to be and the city looked decent"
"Everyone is super relaxed. I dont know if that's because there are so many California kids or what, but everyone seemed very calm. Also, a lot of alumns come back to Albany to teach or practice which is a real testament to the school. It really is like a small family. i also liked their curriculum and that Anatomy is one full year."
"Friendly students!"
"This is probably the toughest question. Nothing really impressed me."
"The students - took us out for a drink the night before, were really friendly and enthusiastic. The day was structured and pretty relaxed."
"the organ-based curriculum. students dissect throughout the year and the information they learn is reinforced that way. also no cumulative finals, only exams for each organ system."
"Albany is a nice town"
"People are very nice. The hospital is a good one. Its a major facility in the area, serving a large pop. base. Excellent Oncology and Pediatric facility. Housing is cheap."
"The students there were all really nice, and so were the people at the admissions office. It's really cheap to live in Albany and it seems like a nice place."
"The students really seemed to love the school and the interviewers were friendly. Albany is near so many cities, Boston, Montreal, New York... and it seemed like a quaint community. Also the students lacked the intense competitive air that other schools seemed to have."
"Student happiness"
"Staff was organized"
"My Student Host was awesome!!! She only had positive things to say, and I can relate to her because we come from the same area. The interviewees I met were so nice."
"I was skeptical, but it's true! Everyone is impossibly nice. I found this to be true at the hotel that I stayed at, the restaurant, the cab drivers, must be an Albany thing."
"the students seemed enthusiastic and happy. The staff were very accommadating when I told them when my flight left Albany. "
"not much"
"This school seemed unique and very personable. The students seemed genuinely happy and the staff seemed very supportive. Also, living expenses/rent is very cheap."
"Everyone was very friendly, and I liked how much involvement the students could have with the hospital."
"faculty and students that I met were very pleasant; size of hospital; "
"The accessibility of the hospital to 1st and 2nd year students. Also the positive atmosphere among the students. Very supportive."
"the friendliless of the interviewers (both of them are retired basic science faculties)"
"The students and staff were very friendly. The faculty emphasized that their doors were always open to their students."
"the laxed attitude of the medical students, especially after a couple of drinks they really tell you that if you want to be happy this is the place to be. Also, the living expenses are ridiculously cheap, you can get a nice place for $450 dollars, your own place believe that."
"the weather was nice"
"The people in NY (or at least at AMC) were *so* nice. Coming from the west coast I expected them to be a bit more reserved, but everyone was really laid back. The students were more than willing to discuss their experiences and thoughts of the school. While I was waiting for my cab at the end of the day, a 4th year student on his way to class saw I had just finished up. He came and asked me how it went, if I had any questions, shared his experience, etc. The other applicants were really friendly as well."
"The students are very friendly and seem happy. The hospital is large and rather nice. The ED is currently being renovated. Housing (relatively nice housing within a few blocks of the school) is quite affordable."
"The friendliness of the students and staff members"
"The students attitudes toward school. They seemed very happy about their life as a med student there."
"Everything. Everyone was very friendly, my interviewers were great, very thought provoking. I also really enjoyed the other applicants and the students."
"The students have the hospital all to themselves, and the hospital was pretty nice."
"i liked the old campus, and the fact that the school is so closely associated with the hospital."
"The students were very nice & down to earth. The volunteers who walked you to each interview were extremely friendly & helpful"
"Everyone was really nice, the students were supportive of the school. Also even though there is no formal MD/PhD program, there is an MD with distinction in research program"
"great atmosphere-- the students seemed very, very happy"
"The students were great! Very friendly, funny, and they seemed to love it."
"how down to earth both the faculty and the students seemed"
"Students seemed happy"
"curriculum is organ-based and students seem happy"
"the students appear to be really supportive of one-another. also, there appears to be a great deal of school support for starting student groups. there's even a school funded quilting club."
"The female students were hot. Actually, a lot of diversity, which is good!!!Locals are hot too. Attractive women."
"Students seemed happy, from what I saw. Big hospital, cheap cost of living. Very pretty with snow everywhere :)"
"The program (classes are organized into system "modules")"
"everyone's very, very nice"
"Student enthusiasm, which seems to be the nearly universal remark on this board regarding AMC. That said, I did not find the students any more enthusiastic or any happier than those at the other school I've interviewed at so far."
"relatively new medical center, city's architecture downtown, school being inside medical center"
"That the school and hospital were connected"
"How positive the students were- they seemed to really love everything about the school."
"The supportive environment of the school."
"The cost of living in Albany is relatively low."
"I like the curriculum, and the emphasis on healthcare in society."
"The people were all very friendly and the area is quaint."
"How cheap housing is and the bar scene in downtown Albany."
"The students were very nice and the faculty is very interested in student success."
"The school is literally just around the corner from the hospital (in the same building)."
"Students were pretty laid back."
"the hospital is very nice!"
"my two interviewers...they were really interested as me in a person, not just the normal...my Medicine, why Albany...they really tried to sell me on the school..."
"The facilities"
"The facilities are a little old."
"Facilities are old, nothing fancy or impressive about them."
"There is nothing that really stood out as a school. It seemed like everyone's backup option."
"Facilities are OLD"
"One of my interviewers did not seem prepared for our discussion/almost seemed as though he was not briefed on the MMI format ahead of time."
"Facilities are very well kept. Tuition. Area is isolated."
"The facilities are a bit old and not especially nice, though ask our tour guide put it, the "no frills" environment is nice for someone who is just trying to learn how to be a physician."
"the interview format"
"The facilities are a little old, although they are continually making renovations and changes."
"The facilities are OLD."
"high tuition. grading is based on a curve. It's Albany...it's cold, isolated, and there's not much to do when you would potentially have any free time. I thought it was probably the most run-down looking school I have interviewed at. Looked like an old, run-down high school that hasn't been renovated in 30 years. The only nice looking room in the whole building, the student lounge, has huge windows overlooking a bunch of brick walls/smoke stacks. Obviously the appearance is not a deal-breaker though."
"The facilities, the lack of student enthusiasm for the school. Seems to be in the middle of a curriculum transition."
"Nothing in particular"
"Old facilities, didnt get to meet any teachers/faculty."
"The facilities are older than most schools."
"Dr. Kite, short and not informative tour."
"Location, cost, most facilities pretty old"
"The school is very old...and many of the doors lock after a certain hour!!!"
"About a 15min tour, completely disorganized, felt like I saw nothing of the school, talked to a fourth year who still seemed frustrated he wasn't accepted at his top choice state school for med school (although he said he had no complaints), building seemed dungeon like with odd corridors"
"The city"
"Charles Kite didn't bother looking at my file, didn't smile, didn't interact. He's had his licensed revoked for performing unnecessary surgeries and he's quite frankly an ass."
"The interview was an interrogation instead of getting to know me and my motivations for becoming a medical doctor. Being that is was open file I knew that there were some areas of my application that would be discussed, however, I do not think they had to be presented in such a way as for me to constantly defend why I deserved to go to that school. Clearly the admission committee saw enough in me when evaluating my application to warrant an interview. The interview is then a means to assess if the applicants motivations are genuine and that in-person the individual the necessary skills (intellectual, communication, etc) to succeed in the field. And I do not even know how the interviewer could determine this since they themselves were not a physician."
"Nothing really"
"The facilities are a little old. Also, I got the feeling from many other interviewees that this was not their first choice school."
"Curved Grading System"
"Facilities seem pretty old"
"Facilities are a little out-dated but they are working to improve them so that is good enough for me."
"Facilities are not as nice as other schools"
"Nothing really. I really loved it!"
"nothing."
"poor location, poor research endowment, no undergrad establishment"
"Albany sucks."
"location probably isn't the best."
"Horrible interview with Charles Kite. Atmosphere of Albany"
"one of my interviewers"
"Small and old, mostly because it is a dedicated medical school and therefore seems really quaint compared to my massive undergraduate research university. "
"There's nothing really innovative about the school or its curriculum and the facility is old."
"The Interviewer was absolutely brutal, I am not lying, straight up told me, I would not be a good doctor....wow....be sure you review your bio-ethics but even if you do its a crapshoot, I just didn't say what he wanted to hear"
"The facilities seem old. The student tour guides, though very very nice and helpful, seem to only have gone to Albany because they didn't get in anywhere else. So it makes it seem like there is no school pride. "
"the area surrounding the school, being forced to purchase tablet PC's"
"The fact that there is no undergrad university attached makes it have a smaller name/reputation"
"The city was a little boring but at least close enough to major cities."
"Much sitting around time; should have brought a book."
"I felt that I was asked to defend my application to my interviewers. Anatomy lab seemed poorly ventilated."
"Interviewers were antagonistic; facilities unimpressive."
"The bus drivers in the area are unpleasant and return smiles with frowns. One of my interviewers seemed to get angry at me when I tried to ask for clarification about one of his questions. He also seemed unwilling to answer any questions I had, even though he asked me if I had any questions. The students didn't seem happy to be there. They said they picked AMC because it was the only school that accepted them in the US. Even if that's true, the school has to have some strengths that makes it a worthwhile place to be."
"There was no sense of pride among the student body about living in Albany or attending AMC. Albany is only a town of 90,000 and it is quite dilapidated."
"Facilities and Albany itself are not great. Also seems like you have to go a little out of your way to get shadowing opportunities your first year - but if you do, supposedly they actually let you do procedures."
"The students seemed miserable. "modified passed fail" is broken up into several levels and curved, which is hardly pass fail. I talked to a couple people that liked research as undergrads, but couldn't find a project at Albany. The anatomy lab needs a new ventilation system, you could smell the lab across the building. Facilities at the SUNY schools are much better."
"The day felt a bit disorganized; student mixer was disappointing."
"technologically behind (recently wireless campus, forcing students to buy a certain tablet PC for c/o 2013 to eliminate incompatibility issues), library is pretty dreary lacking natural light, super cold, average board scores, no formal board review, expensive, nothing really stands out about it, students say administration seems to have organization issues "
"Their "pass/fail" system is not really pass/fail. There are 4 grades you can receive. "
"Some facilities, location"
"basically didn't see any students besides the ones giving the tour. the students doing the tour looked like they didn't want to be leading a tour nor did they want to be at the school. They had very few positive things to say about the school and were very unenthusiastic. My first interviewer was this really old doctor whose only goal was to antagonize me until i said what she wanted me to say. She asked me about fixing the healthcare system and apparently the only thing she wanted to hear is that you need to go to the patient rather than having them come to you in order to do proper preventive care. She antagonized me about being from the city. She spent an hour trying to get me to say what she wanted me to say, the whole while telling me there were "no wrong answers" while telling me i was wrong in the same breath. Then she asked me to tell her about my research. After I was done she proceeded to belittle it. She had obviously not read my application at all nor did she make any effort to do so. At my second interview I basically sat there while my interviewer read through my whole application - yes, ALL of it - and made comments about it. There were very long awkward silences while he read the app and he didn't really ask me anything very specific about it. We then had a friendly conversation about random things and that was all. "
"I only had 1 interview because they ran out of interviewers that day (everyone else got 2). I traveled across the country on the red-eye because they only do interviews on Wednesdays and Thursdays. You would think they could find someone to do the interviews. The tour guide was not overly friendly and her answers to questions during lunch were not very positive. Albany isn't the best area. The school doesn't really go out of its way to help the students. If the students take the initiative, they can get involved and get more exposure but I would like a school that provides more structured advising and mentoring. My interviewer didn't seem to believe what I had written on my application as she was really grilling me about my experiences. Her questions seemed more like she was trying to see if I would slip up."
"Honestly, if you slapped a different name onto the program (a "name brand" medical college), then I could not tell the difference between some higher ranked colleges I have interviewed at and Albany. It was cold"
"Albany didn't seem super exciting, didn't get to see student housing."
"Cost! Also, due to small class size, they only really admit 96 kids a year, as the rest of the class is made up of BS/MD kids...doesn't really seem fair considering the number of people they interview. Odds aren't that great. "
"so cold comparing to where I'm from, how expensive the trip was..."
"Condition of the school."
"The facilities are a little old for the tuition one pays. I've heard that they had a previous dean who mismanaged the funds, and that the current dean is working to correct that."
"The tour was just random and not well put together at all--the library is really bad, the interviewers tried to nail you to a wall as best they could."
"The school and hospital is not super attractive and it is definitely a maze."
"Lack of affiliation with a university limits their resources somewhat. Some areas of Albany are pretty run down. Cost of tuition."
"Nothing!"
"The snow on the ground."
"Albany itself is kind of a dump. Also, the tour was a little disorganized."
"Did not show off the facilities, its cold, they have a wireless network setup, but do not have it online yet. TUITION!!!"
"The weather sucked (rain/snow/hail). Also, everyone admitted that it's somewhat necessary to have a car or friend with a car."
"The facilities at Albany Med are definitely on the older side. Renovations are planned, but they won't be finished until after I will have graduated from school."
"no wireless internet, no problem based learning, no clinical experience until 3rd year!"
"They dissect their cadavars over a year (gross), the area is terrible, the tour guide seemed depressed and unhappy and to ''have just settled'' for AMC... not very encouraging."
"albany, the area surrounding the college is very residential/family oriented, the classrooms looked old..... there is no wireless internet!"
"stress of students, location, etc"
"it's COLD for a so- cal girl."
"location"
"Not very nice facilities for the price. Dreary."
"the area directly surrounding the school is a black hole for fun, the facilities are aging and not pleasing to the eye, I'm not a fan of the systems-based curriculum"
"It is the most expensive medical school in the country!!!!!!!!"
"Very little. NO WIRELESS INTERNET!?! How will I live!?! (desktops are abound though) Also, very high tuition and Fin Aid considers parents income for need based scholarships. One interviewer is horribly mean...see other peoples posts. I was lucky enough to not get him."
"the day wasn't well coordinated. my interviewer was a total asshole (Dr. Slowe? i forget his name). he has an office in the admissions office, and he is just this pathetic old man who thinks he knows everything, including everything about you... so why should i interview if you already had these preconceived ideas about who i am. there is no wireless internet set up yet. there are only 90 availble slots because 50 spots are already reserved for automatic admissions from upstate NY undergrad colleges like RPI, Union, etc."
"Facilities seemed a little run-down. Also finding my way around was impossible, but once you spend enough time there it's manageable."
"first interviewer took 2 phone calls during my interview, facilities are definitly not top notch, interviews were very short, the attitude of the students towards meds (most of us skip classes, etc)"
"Albany is, well, Albany. Not the most cosmopolitan of places. "
"It's cold!"
"Students mentioned at least four times that attending lectures is optional and lots of students skip. Second-year tour guides didn't know their way around the hospital because they "never go there" in the pre-clinical years."
"my first interviewer aka the crabbiest man i've ever met"
"The facilities. How poor the directions given to me to the school and admissions office were. How the students seemed rather indifferent about AMC."
"The old facilities"
"albany is no destination resort-- it's pretty bleak. also, the campus and hospital look pretty old and run-down. even the students commented on the appearance of the school. the good news is that they are currently embarking on a 25-year remodel. the bad news is that they are in year 1 of that remodel."
"the cost of the school"
"i had called to reschedule but they didn't have me on the list, but they made sure that i got to interview that day and were nice about it, so it was cool."
"Pretty much everything. I've had 7 interviews, and Albany was by far the worst. The location is awful, the facilities are decrepit, and most of the students didn't look too happy, although most of them probably "ended up" there anyway."
"The medical school is a part of the hospital, they lacked wireless, the town is not much"
"I thought that the interview was pretty annoying. I walked out with a headache. It seemed more like they just wanted to stress you out than get to know you. My interviewers were pretty rude and cold."
"We did not see the anatomy lab and the tour was really superficial"
"They don't audio or videotape their lectures."
"Albany has some crappy parts, but what city doesn't?"
"When I asked the tour guide what she didn't like about AMC, she gave a one-word answer: "Albany". I agree."
"If you ever want to feel better about your hometown, visit Albany. "
"Tuition is high and they must address that. If Albany wants to be a better medical school, then should make it cheaper to go there. I know it's tough to come up with another $1M for scholarships or overall tuition adjustments, but that is one way they can make a difference. They could also use more technology integration in their curriculum"
"I met a lot of student there who really really liked albany, but basically went there cuz they didnt get in anywhere else."
"The old facilities, and that none of the students seemed to be particularly excited about Albany."
"Albany aint that great."
"mmmm... the students weren't very enthusiastic about the school: "eg Q: Why did you choose AMC? A: B/c I got in. Every student had the same answer). I'm not a fan of cold weather, either (Californian blood I suppose)"
"There's construction going on at the school right now. "
"Lack of wireless, multiple people had trouble getting on-line (their server is very slow), only one research building. Albany is all one-way streets and I got so super lost driving around so bring highly detailed maps of the city if you rent a car."
"No wireless internet and the student facilities aren't as nice. Highest Tuition in the country!"
"Albany, like everything you hear, is not so nice a town from what i saw although everyone doesn't seem to mind it and some even like it. what is saving is that it's only 2 hours from NYC but again how often would you really travel even that far during the school year. The school had a little bit of a back-uppy sort of feel but not really...Honestly not a bad school at all; Albany Med has a fine reputation in the area, the problem is it's location...Albany is very small, very cold, with little to do. "
"39,000 a year tuition, the school is not technologically friendly (no wireless, the auditorium is a bit old), Albany is a small city without much to do, they have this program that you apply for out of local high schools that guarntees you entry into Albany if you meet a minimum GPA so if you attend Albany 30 out of 130 of your classmates will be these younger students who've always been med school tracked and very click-ish. It was so cold early in the year, they made me wait a while between interviews, the students and the school kind of gives you a lower-tier back-up school kind of a feel... No one really impressed me. I didn't walk away feeling that this is a school I would want to choose if accepted somewhere else."
"I had to wait almost 2 hours between one interview and the next."
"nothing, everything was great."
"expensive, facilities are far from the top in the country, be prepared for a lot of snow and a cold and long winter"
"The cost of tuition is ~$39,000/year."
"You need a car."
"the facilities suck. It's an old school."
"Other than the 40G tuition the facilities were older, but appeared well kept. The neighborhood the school is in appeared to be more than a little iffy, at least on one side of the school."
"Cost of tuition. Yikes!"
"Everything!! The admissions staff we met were not the friendliest, the interviews were of the practically non-existent "stress-style" which are not used anymore because it is an antedelluvian and ineffective way to interview....But that sums up Albany: Antedelluvian and ineffective"
"Albany sucks. The school facility wasn't impressive. The people weren't friendly."
"nothing"
"the place is drab, like a factory"
"tuition, and one student i met was not a very impressive individual. most were great though. "
"the weather and the old facilities"
"Nothing (I was raised in Albany and AMC is my first choice- I love it here)"
"The facilities are a little old. No undergrad campus, so there's not much opportunity to do research, if that's your thing."
"Nothing really. I came in with somewhat low expectations, as I was already accepted at one of my top choices... but my day at Albany has caused me to carefully examine my choices again. "
"There were long periods of waiting for interviewers that made the day a little frustrating. They provided a small lunch at 11:30-12 but we were interviewing until five and there was no other food offered."
"The cost, and the location. Albany is the middle of nowhere, just like the rest of upstate NY."
"Not much...no suprises after reading about the previous reviews off this site."
"The limbo an alternate is in"
"No student housing. I am not from the area and I after visiting, I still don't have a clear picture of what Albany is like."
"This school gave me some bad vibes. The hospital looks like something off the cover of a horror book novel, and the students with whom I talked were NOT happy. Too many students complained about the 40K/year tutition. And Albany is perhaps the most dismal city I have ever visited. Furtermore, my faculty interviewers (I had 2) did not take the time to read my application. Overall, I regretted visiting this school."
"Albany, ridiculous cost of school, length of time spent in class, lack of organized clinical experiences in first and second years."
"Class time is all day long, I don’t really like that, but I can deal with it. The tuition is high. Don’t have an undergrad campus association, so not the greatest athletic facilities, but there is a Y close by. The school doesn’t have the newest facilities, but they are more than adequate."
"I couldn't read one of my interviewers too well. Our discussion lacked direction at times. He was too familiar with my file...it was also good in a way because i was able to discuss as he reviewed my materials "
"cooooold!!!"
"it was cold and raining...but nothing bad. maybe that it was albany, and i didnt see much"
"didn't realize the tuition was going to be so high... having spent my college years in southern california beach weather, i think the winters will not be fun."
"Tuition....holy lord!!!!"
"the faculty wasn't that stoked about the school itself. didn't seem to be that involved with the students. the facility seemed a bit disorganized and crowded, as many hospitals are."
"High Tuition!"
"the facilities were quite old and there is no campus"
"The facilities seemed really crappy and old. I got a generally negative feeling there."
"Nothing really. "
"I had to wait forever! see below plus the admission lady who talked about the process kept stressing how the alternate list works --> like she pretty much thought none of us had a shot in hell. "
"the apathy and/or narrow-mindedness of the interviewers "
"Student Welcome the night before the interview wasn't well organized."
"They're little behind on the technology front...I would have liked to have seen that they had more educational resources available on interent(for example: interactive quizzes, slide atlases, question bulletin boards). Also,many schools I have been to are in the process of setting up facility wide wireless internet, or have it set up already. When I asked about it at Albany the answers I got made it seem like like it would be a few years away from happening."
"Both positive and negative: when asked why they came to Albany, most of the student hosts were very honest saying they only got into Albany, although many were waitlisted at several other schools. Honesty and humility, and having a sense of privelige just having the opportunity to study and practice medicine is impressive. But I'm afraid that many of the students will have a slight inferiority complex, that might pervade the school with a sense a mediocrity. Just my honest thoughts which may be totally inaccurate. "
"The tuition is a tough pill to swallow. But Albany is cheap to live in and the Financial aid office is very helpful. In seven years you'll be making $100k, so who cares if your in debt? If you're into research and basic sciences then this place will not overwhelm you, but if you want to learn the clinical sciences then this is as good as any school."
"old buildings, old facilities"
"nothing much, some of the facilities are older, but i think the quality of edu makes up for it. "
"The people doing the interviewing! Not only did I get the horrible doctor mentioned earlier, but my other interview was with someone in hospital administration who knew nothing about the medical school! I dont know why these people were selected to be interviewers! "
"not much to do in albany, not much diversity"
"Where shall I begin? I thought my interviewers were really very poor and I was frustrated by their questions and lack of real interest in me or what I might bring to medicine. The first one was a stress interview and it was a nightmare. Intensely personal questions about my personal life and yet, the interviewer didn't seem very impressed by my answers and seemed to doubt what I was saying. (??) I was so upset by the interviewer and their questions I started to forget things and began to feel like I was lying when in fact I was answering as honestly as I could. Awful. The interviewer did not ask me any questions about my clinical experience. The second interviewer was not much better, but at least I didn't feel under attack like I did with the first one. I was really shocked by this as I had thought that Albany was a great school that really supported its students. I was still shaking for a couple of days afterwards. I really liked the facilities and the school in general but I was really turned off by the interviews."
"Disappointing. Tuition is $38000, yet facilities are poor. All the money seems to be going to the hospital and not to the school and students. It doesn't even seem to be a school, more like a bunch of rooms in the hospital. Albany is a very drab city, I had expected more from the school and city."
"The facilities, the fact that the school and the med center are connected (no campus environment), the COLD!!! "
"The medical center is not located in the nicest neighborhood (although that is the case with most older city medical schools)."
"there is no life in that town!!"
"The tuition"
"The tuition, also I wasn't really a fan of the city of Albany, probably because I'm from a big city in the Midwest. It wouldn't be so bad though..."
"The tuition. $40,000 a year. Ugh. "
"Tuition is high, but the cost of living is a fraction of what you would pay living in or around a big city, so it evens out in the end. Also, some posts complain about the buildings looking old, but from what I saw the lecture rooms and hospital looked better than the ones I'm in now. "
"The building was fairly old."
"The cold was DEADLY. And it's in Albany, but...."
"The interviews were very tense and stressed I think and Albany is not the most exciting city. THE TUITION!!"
"It was an interview day, there was 150 of us that day fighting for 65 places, we had the interviews in groups of 12."
"cost "
"some of the facilities are sort of old, but the positive attributes of the school make up for it"
"albany is a tiny city in the middle of nowhere; AMC is one of the most expensive medical schools around"
"The facilities are a bit old, and they aren't very high tech. But nothing that would make it impossible to learn."
"tuition and the fact that they don't take your parents info into consideration for financial aid"
"Albany is cold. The building seems old on the inside. AMC is kind of old-fashioned in that nothing is done digitally and you can't get the lectures online or anything like that. Most students said they didn't even own their own computer."
"The interviewer!!!"
"The school definately had a back up vibe to it. The school's facilities are old, student body seems not to over enthusiastic, research opportunites are next to nil. My second interviewer brought a 3rd year student for a 2 on 1. He was extremely argumentative and not a very friendly person to be around with and imho, should NOT be interviewing. He was a pediatric neurologist and when I asked him what he thinks of the child obesity issue and how he handles obese children in the clinic, he basically told me he does nothing and that he can't do anything because the parents are fat too. He even started to get mad at that point which is why I droped the issue. Very bad attitude to have as our country is facing an obesity epidemic and doctors like him are the reasons why. "
"The tuition - I just couldn't understand why the school is so expensive - they're not really offering anything extraordinary (for that price). Also the location. It seemed dead, despite the fact that there are a couple of schools around the area. Need a car to get around."
"the cold"
"the weather, the facilities are old, no wireless internet"
"tuition, the cold and psycho taxi cab drivers that use the word f*** as an adj, verb, noun, pronoun etc."
"The interviews! Actually the first guy was mostly alright, except that he seemed a bit arrogant. My second interviewer was the worst of any school I've been to so far. I can't decide if he was just a mean person, if he decided he didn't like me from reading my application, or if he was trying seem intimidating to test my reaction or something... In any event, this guy was definitely not interested in getting to know me and mostly told me to ask questions (3 different times during the interview actually). The interviews were unproductive and not a good time at all."
"Albany is fairly small."
"Facilities weren't great, but weren't bad. "
"Tour was limited and didn't show enough of the student facilities"
"TUITION!!! And the school just had a "back-up school" vibe."
"Didn't get the chance to see student housing. "
"the hospital is small. Lunch was bad. Lack of clinical experience during first two years. "
"the old hospital, increased cost of tuition, tour (lack of knowledge and interesting places taken too)"
"Cold weather (I'm from California) and high cost of tuition."
"Not much about their curriculum schedule, and very tough to find anything that looks remotely like an academic calendar. Also tuition is pretty steep."
"the weather was terrible (cold and snowy)!"
"The weather wasn't the best, and it is an industrial type city- not as quaint as eastern New England."
"the neighborhood is a little rough"
"Tuition."
"the hospital isn't that large and everthing seemed scatered all over the place."
"the interviewer threw a silent killer (farted) in the room, then asked if we could go out since it was nice....then i had to smell the trail of tacobell smell while i was following him out"
"Albany is bitterly cold. I was told that this winter was particularly harsh though. The facilites were pretty old, but most schools' are. One student talked about some areas that have traditionally been problem spots on the Boards. Oh, and the price ($39K/year for 2003-04)."
"Not much. I wasn't happy to hear that old exams are not available to students. Rumors about a lack of exposure to patients during the first two years were addressed, but the answers weren't all that clear."
"The ancient anatomy lab, the bitter cold, how small Albany is...."
"I heard that the hematology/oncology was in turmoil from the students."
"Our student tour guides took every available opportunity to make negative comments on the ethics portion of the cirriculum. "
"Albany is a little dreary"
"the nasty woman interviewer who was also director of admissions!! that the students giving the tour had no idea what the hospital's trauma center rating was. (level 3 not 1)"
"The school & hospital looked like a scene from a creepy, old horror movie - It's one of the oldest medical campuses & it seems like it hasn't changed one bit since it opened!"
"I interviewed in December so it was really really cold. Albany is also smaller (the facilities and the hospital) than other places I have interviewed."
"the -10 degree weather made everything seem dreary..."
"This city of Albany."
"the waiting...first for someone to talk to us at the beginning and then for the interviews in general"
"Facilities, tone of the interviews, cost of the school, city of Albany, weather of Albany (not the school's fault I know.)"
"Albany is dreary. The school isn't really a school; it's 2 lecture halls inside a hospital. The students may actually be too laid back (hard to imagine). The total lack of diversity outside the student body was kinda creepy. The whole day was very unorganized. My first interviewer. "
"the tour didn't seem that well planned out."
"No significant research being done at Albany Med. The MD/ Distinction in Research degree. Supposedly its like a masters, but who is going to think so? How am I going to take my clinical experiences into the lab, and develop a potential treatment with no research?"
"Cost of tuition. That's about it."
"The cost of the school (which they argue--with some truth--is off-set by the cost of living in Albany)"
"albany is tiny!!! facilities a little bit old."
"The facilities were not as impressive as I'd imagined for such a large hospital. The student statistics are not that great, either. "
"trashy city, buildings falling apart, bad nightlife"
"The students who gave the tour were not that informative and I left without feeling like I had a good grasp of the place"
"The city."
"The facilities were not particularly impressive."
"Gross anatomy lab was pretty ghetto. Cost. "
"They were a bit unorganized and I felt that I had to continually ask questions about things were normally presented in all of my other interviews."
"The run down old houses."
"Albany."
"It is an older facility."
"Location, location, location. Too small for me."
"The city around albany is not too lively. "
"Well, that it is in Albany"
"To be calm: it’s just a conversation and being calm will help you get in"
"super chill and the interviewers are really nice!"
"How much better an MMI is than a traditional interview"
"How chill the interviews would be"
"MMI's are pretty chill. This was my first interview and definitely over-stressed"
"I wish I had known that some of my interviewers would have been current students. This may have released some of my pre-MMI anxiety."
"That it would be chilly (I'm a Floridian) in September"
"No ride sharing. Must rely on taxi or hotel shuttle."
"Nothing really, very solid interview day overall"
"I wish I had known that there would be 8 MMI stations. We were given very little information other than that the interview would be MMI format."
"if you interview with the first group, you leave around 3:00 - 3:30. If you interview in the second group, expect to leave around 4:00. It takes 20-35 minutes to get to the airport, account for rush hour traffic. I made a 6:30 plane with time to spare."
"You don't have to use all of the time allotted in each MMI station (you can leave the room early once you/interviewer feel there is a natural ending to the conversation and you have nothing left to say), which threw me off personally."
"The grades are scaled and are basically abcdf"
"Wish I had more knowledge of healthcare in the US (my interviewer teaches a course on pros and cons of healthcare systems)"
"I was going to be interviewed by a very arrogant, mean physician who got his license revoked in 1994."
"The students and everyone talked a lot about the new simulation center but my tour group didn't get to see it"
"That interviewing with Dr. Kite was going to be a waste of my time."
"That the day would be so draining!"
"How much of a pain it is to get from the medical center to the train station"
"Nothing really. Parking is validated, but there was "traffic" getting there in the morning.Breakfast and coffee were provided, then the morning interview people met for a brief overview of the school and admissions process. Then 2.5 hours for interviews - we didnt know if we would have one or two interviews. Then lunch and tour and our day was done around 2pm."
"If you are doing a morning interview, I recommend that you go to the informal Q&A the night before. That way you can talk to students and you'll have plenty to say if the interviewer asks you "why Albany Medical College?" (If you have an afternoon interview, you will be able to talk to students during lunch before your interviews.)"
"The Interviewee waiting area is in a building that is separate from the main medical college. It also has two names."
"That the school would be so awesome"
"Many ethics questions"
"That some of the SDN feedback was (in my case) a bunch of hype. It was much less stressful than I had thought it would be."
"nothing much."
"If traveling by car in the winter, take an SUV. I drove back in a blizzard, and it's a miracle I got through the mountains in one piece"
"Some areas of Albany aren't the safest. How to find the R building"
"my interviewer and I would have absolutely nothing in common"
"Morning interviewees get breakfast (lunch after too!)"
"You may have one or two interviews here, depending on the availability of the interviewers. So you may have to wait for a long time or leave very early if you have only one interview. "
"Lots of waiting"
"Not to stress out so much. I think they've changed their interview format from a few years ago. All the interviewees that day had conversational interviews with no ethics. "
"How great the students were. They did everything they could to make me feel welcome, and comfortable. "
"Probably would have been better to stay with a student-- they all seemed really nice. There is a decent hotel right across the street from AMC but it's a little expensive. "
"To bring something to entertain yourself while waiting around."
"How negative the interviews would be."
"That the interviews would be so combative."
"How unpleasant one of my interviewers would be."
"That I would be sitting around for a while waiting for interviewers to show up - expect to be there from 11-4:30. Talk to the other people interviewing - it will put you at ease!"
"That the student mixer would not provide much information."
"AMC is better than all the trash SDN posters give it. Wasn't asked "why Albany?" nor "why medicine?""
"Interviewers are lazy and don't read your app beforehand. "
"directions for how to get to the medical school"
"Building R, the admissions office, is located behind the medical school. "
"if you have a student host, make sure you show up early because the building closes after 6 and you will not able to come it"
"AMC has gotten more applications, and awarded less interviews this year. They did not even touch a wait list last year."
"The fact that I would have 2 interviews."
"That it would be 0 degrees. Literally. I wish I had worn my pants suit instead of my skirt suit."
"1. You can do clerkships anywhere in the US and internationally. 2. You can take a year off and go do an MPH at another college and return for clerkships."
"The golf courses are still closed at the end of March."
"That there were only two interviewees that day, also, they don't tell you if you'll be having one or two interviews, or what time they will be, ahead of time. "
"It's difficult to get a taxi! Be sure to have a cab company's number with you and call at least 30-45 minutes before you want to be picked up. At the Amtrak station, there is a dispatcher inside who you must talk to if you want a cab."
"That the students there are unhappy. Which I already partly knew. But I wish I knew that it was more than just one..."
"it is hard to get a taxi in albany. You must call ahead at least 30-45 mins ahead of time."
"I would never go here, should jabe withdrawn,"
"You may only get one interview. I didn't feel great about my first and later found out it was my only interview. "
"not much, really."
"I wish I had thought more about ethics."
"That difficult interviews can be fun...theyre the most interesting"
"not to have applied to albany so i could have saved 130$ in transportation + another 100$ for a hotel."
"so many one way streets in albany...through some not so great neighbourhoods."
"That they offer a distinction in bioethics or a 5 year masters in bioethics as well. "
"There is a dry cleaners close to the med center with same day turn around."
"that i would get such a grouch for my first interview"
"Not much. The only surprising thing I learned was about the Anatomy Lab. Students learn about a particular organ system in class and then dissect that organ system in lab. Makes sense, but hopefully there's something to tie everything together."
"where to park."
"i didn't really understand what the theme based curriculum actually was till i got there"
"they had system based curriculum in blocks so there's only on test per "theme" and they get a real weekend with nothign to study in between. that the student have fun and go out and aren't too stressed."
"That I would need a GPS to find the admissions office."
"It is a maze in there so I ended up being late cause I got lost."
"that the interview was really low stress and nothing to worry about"
"The Wednesday evening welcome session isn't anything but a second year greeting you and killing an hour before the first year student hosts come to get you. It's basically one more opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the school. Not much grant/scholarship aid available. Their endowment is not very large. They do 1 or 2 interviews, depending on availability of interviewers. You don't know ahead of time when or who. You just wait in the waiting area for your interviewer to come get you without any idea when it will be."
"Not nearly as many ethical questions as I had expected."
"That admissions officers at AMC read this. So before you bash the school, make sure you don't put the day of your visit so they can't trace it back to you;-)"
"That "mild" for Albany is not the same as "mild" for San Jose"
"That Albany takes students from top schools. That is impressive!"
"the cost of the taxi from albany airport to the school - 30 bucks each way!!"
"I wish I had known about the downfall of Albany as a city before going. The city has obviously had a 'white flight' into the suburbs to McMansions, leaving beautiful town houses empty, and cheap. I prefer a more active downtown."
"The last class was 2/3 female and 1/3 male. Yowza!"
"To bring better maps."
"How cold Albany is! It snowed a bit and was freezing. If your from Cali, be ready for a change. "
"That my interviewers would not ask me a single bioethics question...Wouldn't have stressed the morning of!"
"Nothing."
"Reviewed my stance on ethical situations"
"hmm. there is a lot of construction going on so get there early to find the right place. "
"they ask ethical questions in the interview"
"That I was the only person who showed up for the Wednesday night student question/answer session."
"That the ethics questions weren't as bad as emphasized on this site."
"That the doors to get to the admissions office were all going to be closed"
"That the student interviewers were awful. That I should not have wasted my precious money to go on this interview."
"See what negatively impressed me. IT sums everything up"
"students have an informational meeting on Wed night for those who interviewed that day and for the THR interviewees. i didn't find it helpful at all, so if you want to schedule your interview on Wed you should. you are not missing out on anything."
"that i could have gone climbing while i was visiting. "
"lack of stuff to do in Albany"
"Nothing... I knew myself and the school(thanks to previous volunteer exp and SDN) so there was nothing to worry about."
"The cabs are completely unreliable."
"What the Oregon "Death with Dignity" Law is. If you do nothing else to prepare, please do look this up. "
"The long waiting for interviews; I would have brought a book or something to keep busy. "
"How awful the roads get during storms."
"Long wait time between when the interview ends and the student talk begins. I might not have hung around."
"That Albany is in the middle of nowhere and is an incredibly dismal city."
"Amtrak was much cheaper than flying."
"The day I scheduled the interview, the students had an exam. The students were not able to host, so didn’t get to talk to too many students."
"a different healthcare issue answer"
"high tuition"
"They didn't ask me as many ethic questions as I thought. And it was honestly less stressful than SDN built it up to be."
"High tuition!!!"
"That Albany is in the middle of nowhere."
"I read the pamphlet thoroughly as to avoid asking questions that were already explained there - little did I know that interviewers themselves didn't know what it said"
"How your body does not adjust to jet lag as fast as you hope. I came in from the west coast and could not eat the tour lunch (it was like 9:00am for me). West coasters bring a snack - you will be starving to death at 3:00pm"
"that this old run-down city was not where I wanted to spend 4 years of my life, and wasn't worth coming for an interview.."
"That the student welcome the night before was more of a social thing and that all of the information was available the next day during the lunch/tour. Not that the student's weren't friendly (they were very!), but I had work to do and didn't have the time. "
"Nothing really, I had interviewed there last year."
"Albany is a pretty miserable city during the wintertime -- wish I had visited in the fall or spring, when upstate NY is much prettier. "
"I already knew Albany pretty well, but I didn't know how huge and busy the hospital was. There's plenty of action there, and plenty of good doctors and surgeons."
"That it's not as stressful as I thought it would be. Also to think of more questions to ask the interviewers, they asked me every 4 minutes if I had any more questions. "
"That this school is very boring "
"follow the magenta line on the wall :)"
"That you should visit the admissions office the day before your interview to make sure you can find it. "
"that albany's not too bad of a place"
"Nothing, I liked the rest of the school and the people, students and staff seemed pretty friendly and nice."
"Difficulty of finding admissions room."
"I didn't know what to expect from Albany. The city is not really my ideal! "
"Park in the Garage and take the bridge into the hospital (and then ask for directions to the medical school). That way you won't have to be in the winter elements too long. Also, the admissions office is in a separate building from the hospital (though there is an underground passage). Definitly arrive 30 minutes before your check-in time. Finally, bring some reading material since there could be a long lag time between your 2 interviews."
"that some of the interviewers are not students, scientists or doctors, and have a very "Barbara Walters" style of interviewing"
"That there would be so much down time"
"How to get to the admissions office. Even the website directions aren't the clearest in the world. Leave some time to figure it out."
"that I didn't need to neurotically study papers related to my research because I wouldn't get grilled."
"Leave a lot of extra time to take a cab from your motel to the College. The cab driver came about 25 minutes later than he said he would when I was there."
"Albany isn't too bad of a location after all."
"That there was 149 other people there."
"their grading system is essentially grades with different names"
"not to bring my coat because everything is connected so you barely ever have to go outside!"
"that albany medical was so expensive; that my interview would be held when no students would be around"
"Albany and the school are not as bad as people make them out to be. I mentioned to one interviewer that I have some friends in med school who hate any class not directly related to science. His immediate response was "then they don't belong here". So if you hated humanities in undergrad, think twice."
"That I definately don't want to go here."
"Nothing really"
"no wireless internet"
"The huge emphasis on ethics based questions in touchy subjects like abortion and the death penalty."
"nothing really."
"That the administration building is kind of hard to get to and that there are morning and afternoon sessions--Request morning session if you can!"
"Tuition"
"The lack of ethnic diversity at the school. I can count the number of minorities that I encountered during my visit on one hand. "
"Read interview feedback - alot of my questions were verbatim from other interviewees' experiences. "
"that Albany is not that big of a city...the school is not to visually appealing"
"Albany admissions committee loves to ask ethical questions."
"That it costs about the same to rent a car (try enterprise) as it does to take a cab from hotels near the airport."
"The gathering w/1st year medical students (evening before interview) was helpful only if I were staying closer to the school. However, my hotel was near the airport - therefore the taxi ride to and from the school was quite expensive and just not worth the half an hour gathering."
"There was a wait between interviews, but it was nice to have the opportunity to talk with other applicants. "
"the neighborhood of which the school is located"
"Arrive early to check in as the earlier you arrive the sooner you will be interviewed."
"Bring warm clothes, gloves and beanies."
"i discovered that people in albany med are a bunch of racist animals, and a waste of my time, and have no respect. he didnt even appologize for farting in my face."
"How cold it would be with wind chill factored in. The cost - I knew it was expensive, but I guess due to the poor economy, tuition for next year is being bumped up 9-10%."
"Who I would be staying with (which medical student) so that I could contact them ahead of time. I wish that I had known something about my interviewers (at least the morning of)."
"Albany is freakin' cold!!"
"How freaking cold it was in Albany."
"That ethical questions are really no big deal. It is most important that you show that you have taken the time to think about ethical issues and to formulate opinions based on information from sound sources. There really is no need to prepare anything extra as the questions asked are on really hot topics, euthanasia, abortion, DNR, etc... that most educated people already know something about."
"They are way into the heavy ethical questions. Be prepared to answer every question you see on this site."
"that i would go to a medical school overseas rather than attend albany med.. based solely on that terrible woman! if she is in a position of power, that is an organization i want nothing to do with."
"How old and uninviting the campus was. How long you would have to wait and wait and wait all day. "
"Albany gets really really cold."
"the doors to the medical school building lock at 6 pm..."
"The area around the medical school campus is really cute, but Albany itself isn't so great..."
"the fact that you really have no clinical exposure in the first two years there"
"That it was 2 degrees outside. "
"I wish I knew how friendly everyone was going to be. Even the other interviewees were a lot of fun. We were all very relaxed around one-another. If you're feeling nervous, go to the student welcome so you can meet some of the other interviewees. The familiarity will make things more comfortable on interview day."
"To not go to the interview. My flight to Albany was cancelled when I got to Detroit for the transfer. I guess the snow was too bad. I had to fly to white plains and rent a car. I drove 3 hours in the blazing snow to albany. I got 3 hours of sleep before my interview. I'm under 25 so i had to pay the "my parents had sex 3 years too late" 110 dollar charge to rent the car. (obviously i'm upset with the whole experience)"
"Nothing. This site had pretty much everything that the school site didn't!"
"Albany seems to focus nearly entirely on clinical medicine. They say that there's some opportunity to be involved in research, but it seems really minimal by comparison to other schools. That's not necessarily a big deal to me, because I don't want to go into research, but I guess that I like the idea of being SURROUNDED by high-tech medicine, even if I'm not participating directly in it. Additionally, I noticed an announcement on a bulletin board which mentioned budget cuts and faculty eliminations. I asked one interviewer about it and he assured me that it wasn't a problem, but I think that it's still a matter of concern."
"That Albany is very big on moral/ethical questions so be very well prepared for that topic."
"Albany's strongest department is probably cardiology and they have a good reputation for heart transplantation."
"Have an answer for how many schools you applied to, what you will do if you don't get into any of them, how you will decide if you get into all of them."
"I didn't realize that there is really no structured clinical time scheduled during the first two years of medical school there."
"That I would actually have two very serious interviews."
"It's probably not a good idea to go to an interview on 4 hours of sleep."
"You can park for free in the parking lot directly in front of the school. The medical school gives you a pass that validates the parking there."
"Nothing"
"Despite being the capital of new york, albany is a very small city."
"That to get to the Admissions office is very confusing...but if you follow the magenta line painted on the wall at waist height, it will lead to you to admissions office - tucked in the back of the school..."
"really non-stressful, casual interview"
"I would love to attend here."
"The MMI was much more interesting, thought-provoking, and honestly fun than I was expecting. The prompts made me think more critically about medicine and reflect on my clinical and non-clinical experiences."
"I had a great time on campus and would definitely attend if given the opportunity."
"I would only come here if it was my only medical school acceptance. If I am not admitted to medical school this year I do not intend to apply to Albany again."
"Very organized interview day, with proper length that does not lead to high levels of fatigue. The school itself seemed great and was presented well."
"Great school with lots of support for students. Definitely on the top on the list!"
"Probably no ones top choice, but definitely a great place to study medicine in its own way!"
"I do not think their interview gets to know you well."
"MMI format with 8 stations to rotate through. 2 minutes to prepare with prompt, 8 minutes in room with interviewer."
"Hardest interview I had. The only interview where the interviewer grilled me. I didn't get a good sense of the school after the interview. Much less information was provided about the school than at most other places I interviewed at."
"Wish I had gotten to see more of the brand new clinical simulation lab"
"It was difficult to get a feel of Albany and figure out what was really unique about this institution."
"Really enjoyed my time here!"
"Just a conversation and me asking them a lot of questions"
"A safety school"
"It's a great school, they have a great way of teaching and all of the stuff you learn from an organ system is tested in one exam instead of several for each class."
"AMC is a great school, interviews are very relaxed. I had two interviews, one one open file but the other one (the non-committee member one) had no information about me whatsoever, which I was surprised about."
"It's a nice school with a welcoming atmosphere and overall would be a good place to attend. However, I am clearly disturbed by the one interviewer and the fact that the school allows this person to sit on their admissions committee and assess potential medical school talent which sours the whole experience for me and ultimately will lead me not to attend AMC."
"Overall the day was very nice and the admissions staff and students were all friendly. I had two interviewers, both faculty. One was a great interviewer (though still totally serious) and the other was a little more difficult to make conversation with."
"Safe area of Albany. Decent Lunch. Old facilities."
"I think this school's negative press on SDN is WAYYY overhyped. I would also heavily recommend staying with a student host because they really warm your heart."
"You will have either one or two interviews. If you have only one, it does not mean you are considered a better or worse candidate than those with two interviews, it is just based on availability. You will be interviewed by one member of the admissions committee. It was very relaxed and I would recommend interviewing in the morning so you can relax during the tour and lunch."
"The interview is very laid back. Don't stress this one!"
"Loved it here!"
"no ethics questions! from what i hear, interviewers are steering more away from that because people come with well-prepared/scripted answers, thus detracting from the conversational attitude of the interview"
"It's a good school that will prepare you well to be a clinician. But don't go here if you you expect a great social environment too."
"very relaxed interview. even the day was laid back. good lunch. ended up being a pretty short day, but I consider that a huge plus."
"Nice school, nice hospital, good facilities/classrooms/library. Albany is nice in some areas, but really dangerous in other places. Public bus seems reliable. Off campus housing seems to be okay."
"i think i had one great interview and one terrible interview. i liked the school, except one of my interviewers read my file backwards and forwards and seemed like he was trying to find discrepancies . my own mistake was that i did not have a pre-prepared blurb of my life - which is what he wanted. some people had ethical questions - others didn't. just go in remembering everything you've ever done - because some people will try to catch you off-guard"
"Accepted within 2 weeks of interview. If you can, go to the student meet and greet the night before, it really gives you perspective into the school and material for quality pointed and informed questions during interviews. Interviewers seemed to appreciate that. Both interviews ran waaaay over time. 1 hr 15 min each. Waited a total of 10 minutes because they took so long. Though it was a good thing, and I was right!"
"I left my interview quite content with the school and its students, faculty, facilities, and clinical training. I would gladly go here if accepted. A previous interviewee had left feedback stating that if you want to go to a school for the sole purpose of medical education, Albany Medical College is a great place. I agree - it does not have much else going on in terms of cultural activities, night life, or entertainment, but it is a solid medical school. I had two interviewers - one was a PhD who taught first and second year med students and the other was a current med student. You may have one or two interviewers depending on interviewer availability. One interview lasted 45 minutes and the other 30 minutes. There was a gap of about 30 minutes between interviews for me, but this varies for each interviewee. Also, interviews either start in the morning or afternoon and both groups of interviewees share the tour and lunch. The afternoon group usually finishes by 3:30pm if they started at 11:15am."
"I had a positive experience here. I like the sleepiness feel of the city as well as the school. Also, a shout out to S who was my interviewing buddy."
"I had two interviewers for 60 min each. Overall it was pretty low key but I didn't get a very positive vibe from either of them (maybe it was just me). It was almost all conversational with no questions on ethics or healthcare."
"A few ethics questions but there was a lot of time spent discussing my application and what I am all about."
"Although mine were totally conversational, I've heard that interviews are probably more adversarial than your run-of-the-mill school. I honestly think this is why AMC gets a bad rap on SDN. Those who have the highest stress levels seem to have the lowest impression. I don't know if AMC tries to weed out those who don't have thick skin, or whatever, but I had been in enough job interviews as a non-trad to know how not to be rattled. Remember-- you want a hard interview!"
"Lunch was great and the students were a delight to speak with"
"Overall, it seems that AMC gets bad reviews from people on SDN, but I found it quite appealing. I would be very happy to attend AMC. Albany, seems like an interesting city too; much history."
"I really wanted to like AMC, as I've lived in Albany, still have friends there, and would be happy to spend 4 more years in the city. I also know that members of the surrounding community think highly of AMC. After the interview, though, I don't know whether I would have gone if AMC was the only school that accepted me. I enjoy being challenged, and I'm fine with ethics questions - but my interviewers were downright condescending. I also don't understand why the school hasn't replaced or improved the ventilation system in the anatomy lab, especially considering the school's relatively high tuition. "
"AMC is an old-fashioned school that doesn't stand out. The faculty, however, seemed very knowledgeable and focused on educating medical students. It is a school you would want to attend if you want to just focus on getting your medical education. It isn't a good place if you want a lot of distractions from traditional learning."
"Don't listen to what people say on SDN. Those are people who only care about prestige and name and are not secure enough to make comments with factual information. Go to Albany and see it for yourself. If you are the type of person who can make the most of something and is not afraid to go out and get it, Albany might be the place for you."
"Either 1 or 2 interviews. Mine lasted 1.5h...some lasted even longer..."
"This school gets a bad rap on SDN, but they were very professional. Everyone I met was very friendly, seemed happy to be there. Med students seemed like a close nit group b/c of small class size."
"I found out that I was accepted a few days after the interview. Knowing that I have been accepted to some other schools, I don't think I'll choose Albany."
"I think this school has been given a bad image on SDN."
"It was a pretty good interview day. This was my last interview out of 8 for the season, and the day was pretty well organized. Got there for the afternoon session, had an orientation talk, the four of us interviewees took a walking tour of the facilities, had some lunch, then directly after I had both interviews. I was done by 2:45, although I was the first person done in my group."
"I stayed with a student host, which was very nice and money-saving. One interviewer was pretty tough and one was very pleasant. Like previous poses, a lot of ethics questions come to play, so be prepared. "
"Friendly and cordial! Besides the standard 'why medicine' questions, we talked about everything from Iraq to movies."
"I had one tough interviewer and the other was more relaxed. The idea was to try to not impress my interviewers through my file but through my thoughts and opinions. I got them into my interview with questions and at once I felt comfortable being at AMC."
"I had a fantastic conversation with my interviewer. He understood my research which was a first from any interviewer. We talked about current issues in medicine, the pharmaceutical companies and health care. We also talked about California, which was fun :)"
"Difficult to get the interview, interviewers who try to test your thinking rather than get to know you, GREAT admissions staff, very friendly, stressed looking students. It just seemed 'old school,' where the professors are brilliant, but students need to just know their place."
"It was great! The only complaint I have is that I kept thinking of better answers to the questions asked after the interview was over."
"The admissions staff made the day a very pleasurable experience. They took a lot of time to explain their process and answer any questions we had. Most people get two interviews, but I got one after doing really well on the first one (I think)."
"Started the day with breakfast. We got to sit and relax and chat with interviewees as we waited for our interviewers. The orientation talk was very succinct and well-organized. No financial aid talk, which was a bit strange, but they're usually boring anyway. You get 1-2 interviews based on availability of interviewers. Then there was lunch and tour. Everything was very succinct and organized, so I was never bored the entire time. I was very impressed by the friendliness of my interviewer and the admissions staff. Albany is a totally underrated school on SDN. I have nothing to complain about."
"AMC gets a bad rap on SDN, possibly because of the population of SDNers. Albany's no great city, but there are two great cities w/in a 3hr drive (NYC and Boston), and lots of outdoor activities. The interview atmosphere was intense but not stressful. I talked to about 15 current students, from 1st-4th year, and they all love AMC. Some even chose it over ''higher ranked'' schools and are glad they did. Overall, it was a good experience."
"Overall the school grounds seem kind of average, but the students and staff seem happy. The interviewer was tough, but good. I think it ended up going pretty well, he just wanted to hear reasons for the answers I was giving. I would bring a book or newspaper to read in the waiting room, because you may be waiting there for a while between interviews. Albany is a pretty small, run-down, old industrial city, but rent is very cheap, and if you have access to a car and enjoy being outdoors, there is no better region to be in. The Berkshires and Catskills are close by, and Montreal and NYC are only a train ride away."
"Flew in the night before, stayed at a hotel, arrived at 11pm, talked it up with the other interviewers, ate lunch with a student, took a tour, interviewed twice, and left."
"Lowest stress interview ever! Really nice people, facilities much better than other reviews indicate, and it's only 2-3 hours to Boston or NYC."
"The day started off with an orientation and talk by a member of the admissions office, and then someone from financial aid. Both were very friendly, open and informative. After a nice lunch, there was a tour given by two students - one a first year, the other a second year. Both really liked the school and gave a good tour. After that, there were two interviews (although a couple people only had one). I had two facutly interviews, while some people's second interview was with a student. Both faculty members that I met with were great and while I was asked a few difficult questions, it was still fairly easy going and low stress."
"It was one of the most challenging interviews that I have had. Lots of ethical questions. But the tour was good, students seemed nice, location isn't great, and they didn't talk much about 3rd and 4th year"
"I'm really not interested in the school. They told everyone that we would hear back within two weeks. It's been over 8. Probably not good news, but I doubt I'd go there over my current acceptance even if I was accepted."
"very pleasant and small school. the drawbacks are its weather and its location."
"same old same old"
"fine"
"It was a quick interview day. I didn't feel great about my performance because I got nailed with questions I wasn't knowledgable about. Don't be discouraged by those feelings, however... I got in!"
"I was one of the (unlucky or lucky, depending how you look at it) few that received only one interview on my day. The majority of the interview was spent discussing healthcare and ethical issues, but the calming manner of my interviewer put me completely at ease, and probably allowed me to answer each question to the best of my abilities. The environment of AMC is rather gloomy and depressing during the colder months, but the cheerfulness of the administration and students really help to enhance the college."
"The first interview went really well, and we discussed my grades a little, my major, my research, and India. The second interview was more difficult because he did not think my MCAT biological science score was adequate."
"EXCELLENT. Albany is at the top of my list despite financial issues."
"i've intereviewed at 7 schools and this has been, by FAR, the worst. i would have a positive impression of the school had it not been for my interviewer who was totally rude, and unprofessional. he was (is?) a doctor, yet he doesn't know how to listen or remember what i said? he cut me off constantly, raised his voice, put words in my mouth, and expected me to agree with his ridiculous conclusions about myself?! other than the interiewer, everyone else was sweet. but it's hard to ignore the fact that albany is cold and isolated "
"It was positive and informative. I felt that Albany Medical College would be a good match for me."
"OK overall. I got a cardiologist who was really down-to-earth, definitely the kind of guy you'd want to have a beer with. Then I got a retired endocrinologist who was kind of a tough interviewer, which I actually appreciated. I was accepted a few weeks later and initially enrolled, but eventually decided to attend elsewhere."
"drove down the night before, stayed with a student (also a friend from undergrad). that was positive. tour of hospital was ok, nothing stood out - not as terrible as i had heard, but definitly not anywhere close to hightech or top notch facilities."
"Good. Relaxed. Conversational. I guess I lucked out getting a bioethics professor. More to talk about than with a urologist. "
"Overall it was relaxed and enjoyable. The interviews were very conversational. They seemed very interested in what motivated me to choose medicine so prepare for those types of questions. Many people also got ethics questions, but I was asked how I would fix the US healthcare system."
"my first interview can be summarized in one word-AWFUL. he basically twisted all my words and kept playing devil's advocate. and when i would ask question to clarify what he said, he basically made the question even harder. he never smiled the entire time and made me feel like an imbecile with his condescending look. my second interview (with a med student) went well (although i dont know if i thought that way because i was comparing him to the first interviewer)"
"Overall, a negative experience, but I don't think that reflects the school very much. I had trouble finding the Admissions Office, so give yourself time (and no one who works there seems to know where it is either). My first interviewer should not have been evaluating me because he/she forgot everything I said, asked me the same question 3 times (multiple times), interrupted me constantly (wasn't listening to my answers), and in general was just too old to comprehend anything. He/she asked the typical ethical questions like abortion, and after I responded, had to clarify by saying "So, you are pro-choice?" There is a difference between how you would handle a situation in your own life and how you would handle the same situation with a patient. I'm extremely disappointed that they are still allowing this individual to have a say in who attends AMC. The 2nd interviewer was even worse, although seemed more "with it." He/she didn't seem to care at all about my application and only asked a few questions about me as a formality. He/she only seemed to be interested in discussing topics like the one I mentioned in the "most interested/difficult question." I have no idea how our conversation helped her to evaluate me as a hopeful medical student. However, I don't think my experience interviewing actually reflects the medical school."
"I felt that the staff and the students were very enthusiastic and did a good job making us feel at ease (yeah, right!) as much as possible."
"my first interviewer was almost caustic- i think we may have had some political differences, but i think it had more to do with him than the school, itself. my second interviewer was delightful. she was incredibly nice, and the interview itself was more of a conversation than a strict evaluation of my character and academic history. i found that, wrt to the ethics questions, there is no right answer. just make sure that you are able to argue your points well."
"talked about stuff in my file...and they really do focus on ethics a lot but it wasn't as stressful an interview as i thought - both my interviews (neither one student) were really nice and genuinely wanted to know what i thought"
"talking to the students was a better experience than usual and also the other people interviewing were cool so i think i'd get along with my classmates there"
"As I said before, I came to Albany expecting more, but was throughly disappointed. My interviewers both grilled me (even the student), and made it clear that they would be doing me a favor by accepting me (even though I told them I had been accepted to a top 10 school!). They also tried to make me feel bad because I wasn't interested in going into primary care. It was awful, and obviously if I am accepted I am not only not going to go, but discouraging any of my friends from considering it either."
"Very laid back and conversational. My interviewers were friendly and interested in getting to know me. The administration is warm and helpful."
"I believe we arrived at 11:15-11:30 AM outside the admissions office, receive a folder, go to a presentation on the school, financial aid, and then lunch with med students. After lunch, the students led a brief tour of the school, then we headed back to the admissions office at 1PM to be called for the interviews. Most got two interviews, but I had just one. Then we were free to go. The day was well structured overall. "
"I did not get any ethics questions."
"It was fantastic. If you get a chance, stay at the bed and breakfast called the Inn on South Lake. They get applicants all the time and they really know how to take care of them. Overall, I had a great time and I came away excited about medical school again, instead of feeling down about the length of this process!"
"Because AMC is not integrated into a larger university, their entire academic mission is medical education, so all of their resources are devoted to teaching you, which is nice. Also, having the hospital for the campus means you have a lot of access to doctors and plenty of opportunities to shadow, etc. Conversely, it means that if you want to step out side for some fresh air, you're on the city streets of Albany, which leave much to be desired..."
"Very positive interview experiences. First interview seemed easier and more conversational, second one was a little more intense ("hmmm... you have a couple of C-grades")"
"What a breeze. Most people seem to get ethical questions but I got none. In fact, my first interview I was not asked *one* question. We talked for about 20 minutes on what Albany can give me, how I will get into medical school somewhere and it's just a matter of where I want to go. Then I saw one of his procedures on a patient, testing coronary blood flow. Awesome. "
"I had two interviews. I was not nervous at all, but for some reason I didnt have that good of a feeling about it afterwards. My interviewer kept harping on the issue of healthcare and how much the system sucks, and wanted me to come up with a solution. In the end he says "well there really is none." He also went over my AMCAS, almost as if it were in bullet format, and wanted specific dates for stuff. I felt very tested, so READ OVER YOUR APP before you go. My second interview was very low key and short. He basically asked me if I had any questions for him."
"First interview was an ethical interview. The questions could have caught you off guard, but the interviewer was completely accepting of my answers. The questioning did seem to go on a long time, with attempts to trip me up. Second interviewer was a bit lower stress, wanted to know more about me. Both interviewers were very knowledgeable about the school and medicine."
"Exactly as advertised. One ethical interview and one friendly interview."
"Two one-on-one interviews. Open file. One REALLY took the time to get to know my app (thanks!) the other didn't (expected). Easy-going interviews. Wasn't asked ANY ethical questions (everyone else in my interview group was, however)"
"Excellent interview. Very conversational. Be yourself, these interviewers could sniff out the 'professional pre-med'."
"Nice and relaxing. If you're in the 8am group, you have a quick financial aid presentation followed by your interviews (1 or 2). Then you join up with the 11am group, everyone has lunch together and tour, then 8am can leave, while the 11am group then waits for their interviews. Plus 8am group was only 6 people, then 11am group had about 10. "
"The day starts off with an admissions presentation, financial aid and then a tour. Then you get to do your interview. If you get 1 interview, it means that you were interviewed with a core member. You will have 2 interviews if you didn't get a core admissions member. After the interview, I recommend walking downtown to the capital state building...awesome sites. Then, we stayed with students and watched the final game of the world series. "
"You get there either at 8:30 or lunch time, I had the morning session. There's bagels, danishes and coffee for you. Then you have a super brief school and even briefer fin aid presentation...Were not given a budget or even told tuition which was funny. Nothing really in that regard. The non-fin aid talk was mostly about the selection process...6500 apps, 630 interviews, 50/50 acceptance rate. You had two interviews one on one and the interviewers came and got you from admissions. MIne were with an MD and a PhD. The MD was the nicest most personable guy EVER, such a great interviewer. The PhD was very cool too, but he did most of the talking. Overall extremely low stress so don't believe for sure that you'll get grilled on ethics though you might...The 2nd year tour guides recounted stories but not a single member of my group experienced that. Then we had a nice little lunch and 4 2nd years were there, then they gave us a tour then the morning group left...The whole day would be reversed if you came at lunch time. The second years were among the coolest, most enthusiastic honest and normal students I've met thus far, really cool seeming people. 2 out of the 3, when asked how they chose Albany said they didn't have a choice...They still loved it but again I got the sense it was definately mid-low tier which I sooo don't care about anyway. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the school (also the facilities are fine; 1/2 are very new looking, 1/2 are older looking) but the location in Albany was just as bad as what everyone says. Also, the school seemed VERY LIBERAL! Like people almost pushing a liberal agenda...But i Guess that's NY. You have a bioethics class that runs the entire year which is maybe why they push ethics so hard at interviews supposedly. The grading system wasn't really discussed, I think it's standard except with different terms...All I remember is you can get a G which means good (lol, i think that's a pass.) "
"It felt a bit rushed and impersonal. A brief discussion about admissions and financial aid, followed by lunch and a tour by students. They then make you wait until your interviewer shows up and interviews you. You then wait again (I had to wait a while) so that another interviewer can come get you and interview you. Wasn't too impressive and they didn't seem to want to sell themselves too much like other schools I've seen."
"It was overall a positive experience. Both of my interviews were challenging but the interviewers were very down-to-earth. "
"We met for lunch and a quick overview of the admissions process and an even faster presentation of financial aid. THe registrar said that they do not start sending out decisions until the end of November. Then we had a tour led by 2nd year students and it was back to the lobby to wait for interviews. I had two interviews, one with a 4th year student which was totally friendly and relaxed and another with a doctor which was a mix of friendly and ethical. AMC is known for its ethical interviews. One 4th year who stopped by while I was waiting for my second interview said the true albany interview experience is one friendly, one ethical interview."
"Everyone at the college and hospital were unbelievably nice and willing to help or just say hello. There are 3 other major health care centers around the hospital--an opportunity for a variety of patient contact!"
"my interview and the days at AMC exceeded my expectations of the school. I think the school has a good reputation in the Northeast. Even though everyone said that ethical questions are almost a guarantee, I didn't actually get any. My one interviewer was really cool and we just talked about random stuff. The other guy was really nice, but a little more structured in his interview. Both were laid back and wanted to do the best to get a good impression of me as possible."
"My interview experience here was very positive. My interviewers were respectful and knowledgeable. We talked about health care policy, international health, economics, business, and ethics. I enjoyed both my interviews. Additionally, I was impressed by the quality of students AMC is able to attract."
"My first interviewer liked reading the file right before the interview so you had to wait outside his office for a while. Then he received a call and seemed rushed to end the interview. My second interviewer was a fourth year student who rolled her eyes a lot. I'm not sure if it's an idiosyncrasy or if she hated my answers. Overall, they both tried to be nice."
"Again, the facilites aren't good, but the people won me over. both students AND FACULTY were great. the interviews were casual and comfortable - but know your bioethics."
"Interesting. My first interview was with an MD and my second interview was with a 4th year med school student. The MD did not seem to be prepare with question to ask me. The student was very well prepared and enthusiastic to get to know more about me and what i had to offer to the school. I was worried when i went based on teh negative feedback given about the school. NOw i completely disagree with the negative comments. I had a great time and like i said i loved the school"
"Very relaxed. Sign up for mornign rather than afternoon interview. I was in the afternoon group. Before you get to the actual interview you have a couple hours to get to know the other interviewees and get lunch and a tour of the school, but by the time I actually got to my interview, I was pretty exhausted. If you go in the morning you have your interviews first and can relax and enjoy the rest of the day"
"It was terrible. The interviewers try to throw you off kilter with their "ethical" questions, whcih are not about ethics at all...they are just a tool to conduct a "stress" interview. The student who interviewed me insulted my reason for wanting to go into medicine, and he just seemed completely apathetic. The other person who interviewed me was bed...just bad. I have been on a lot of interviews, and this was the worst..by far. I would never go to this school!"
"1st guy (dean) was a jerk who looked like he didnt even want to interview. I don't even think he was happy with the med school, which is disappointing. 2nd guy was an awesome guy talking about the history of the building"
"they ask a LOT of ethical questions so be prepared. from a teen wanting an abortion to paying organ donor families for the organ."
"interview was real laid back and my interviewers were generally very interested in knowing a lot about my experience and my research. i was asked very appropriate questions about myself and my knowledge, and was given some tough questions that were workable. i was very impressed with this school and i think that it compares with other top tier schools very favorably. its just the high tuition that dissuades a lot of competitive students. i walked away feeling like i would get an excellent education. the layout of the school being adjacent to the hospital affords a lot of flexibility in how you want to spend your time shadowing, doing research, etc. its got it all and more. "
"It was an ok experience, but there are definitely many schools that are better"
"Me again- About research there are plenty of opportunities to do research- I am actually working for a company across the street with state of the art facilities that is affiliated with AMC and there are med students in my lab. You can gain a destinction in research with options to study in a variety of fields ( I work in cardiovascular reserach studying metabolic diseases and syndromes, but the lab next door is studying cancer, and across the way HIV... there are LOTS of opportunities if thats what u are into."
"Very positive. I know a lot of people who go here and are VERY happy with their choice (even if it was originally their last choice.) Organ systems approach to curriculum with testing in blocks. Modified pass/fail (ie you get recognition if you are at either extreme end of the bell curve) About the weather, Albany does get cold, and when driving through some parts of Albany it doesn't look too nice, but it is a great community to live in. Big enough to have walking access to shopping/resturants/bars/school (last but not least of course lol), and easy access to NYC as well as the Adirondack Mountains (skiing, camping boating, hiking mountain biking,) but small enough that you dont worry about parking (too much) and you can live really cheap near the school (I was raised around the corner)"
"My day at Albany was a very positive experience. Everyone was very helpful, and all of the students seemed very happy with their experiences there. The day consists of a short introduction by the director of admissions, a financial aid presentation, a student-led tour, and two interviews. "
"I was really impressed with the program here. The opportunities for clinical experience were good and the students really seemed happy here. The cost of living is very low, and the students who gave the tour were very candid about their experiences here. A lot of people in my interview group were asked ethical questions, but I actually wasn't asked any. I was, however, asked a lot of cultural questions mostly centered around what kind of responsiblity the medical community has in addressing cultural issues in medicine. The school seems very patient oriented and I could easily see myself going here."
"Very very relaxed. interveiwers knew alot about me and were generally interested in me and why I wanted to be a dcotor."
"Not bad at all. Just be willing to role with the punches."
"Casual interview, very conversational, we talked about activities I had put on my appl and digressed to other tangents. "
"Lots of ethical questions. The school and the hospital seem nice, clean, and kept up. Bring a warm jacket. The admissions office is a little hard to find; allow yourself time in the morning to find it. "
"Overall, I regretted visiting this school. I got a lot of bad vibes from this place."
"Very casual and laid-back. Children's "Hospital" is actually just one floor in the main hospital. Definitely a pleasant interviewing experience, but depends completely upon your interviewer. To get a good clinical experience during the 1st and 2nd years, the student must make the effort to contact physicians to shadow them."
"I was not expecting much from Albany, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the interview. They have awesome students who are happy and the admissions committee is super supportive. Albany is a college town which is very very affordable to live in. The city is not the largest, but nice and with many college students. The tuition to the school is pretty high, but the cost of living makes up for it. I was not able to stay with students b/c they had a test, but they have that possible and it is a good thing to do. Also fair warning, the school asks many ethical questions as you can read from the rest of the interview feedbacks. Have your point of view and why you support that. I was very lucky in that my interviews were very relaxed, but other interviewees got pummeled. Don’t need to worry too much just be firm in your views and decisions, they just want to see if you can handle the stress of ethical challenges by others, and that you have thought about the issues that are involved with medicine like abortion, euthanasia, unethical experiments, organ donations, and advance directives. They are big on ethics and it is kind of good, because you will come across these types of questions and problem when you are practicing medicine. It’s better to be prepared, when angry patients question your motives and decisions. After the experience I was happy with the school, and would go if I got in. The school made a great impression on me."
"Low stress, Tuition is unbelieveably high. However they stress the fact that the amount you pay is offset by the low cost of living "
"Both of my interviewers were very nice and responsive. It was conversational with some questions sprinkled in. I felt very comfortable and welcome. The other interviewees were very friendly. Overall this was a great experience. Albany is a great cultural center and is rather cute, cost of living is very low."
"everything was pretty kick back and relaxed. both interviews went well. seems like a good place to go to school"
"i think it went pretty well... they were only able to give my group one interview each. the lady i was with wasn't a doctor and just sat on the admissions committee. she seemed really open to hearing what i had to say, but it was hard to read her and how she responded to my answers, so im not sure what she thought."
"Overall I liked the school very much. Very dynamic curriculum, make a point to be up to date with modern medicine. The cost of living is cheap and the area is beautiful. My only disappointment was the lack of wireless internet. Not as technologically up to date as they could be."
"I wasn't too surprised at the questions asked. The interviewers I had seemed a bit hard to read. But they were nice overall. I wasn't too impressed with the school. "
"My first interview was wonderful! The second one went well, but the person was harder to "read" in terms of how they reacted to my responses."
"Very positive, low stress interview"
"it went very well"
"We started the day with a brief orientation, followed by lunch and a tour by two M2's. Following the tour, we were called out one by one for our interviews. My first interview seemed really bored and talked about the school for more than half of the interview. I didn't feel like he listened to me very well. My second interviewer was really nice. She spent the entire time asking me ethical questions and scenarios. After my interview day, I decided that I definitely did not want to go to Albany."
"Overall, it was positive. I had pretty nice time with the interviewers and the other interviewees."
" I checked in at 11:00am with 10 other students, but eveyone else had come and gone to two interviews by the time I got to my one long interview (3:00 pm). Thanks to everybody else who sat around and chatted - you guys made it bearable. Because our group was large some of us only had one longer interview --> mine was with an associate dean of admissions - she was super nice but had sort of a flat affect --- hard to gauge what she thought of me sometimes. Others had 2 interviews that were much shorter. Chill out - talk to the other interviewees --> you are going to have to wait."
"This was probably my worst interview (and I had 10). Not only was the admission office almost impossible to find, as my hotel shuttle dropped me off at the hospital entrance, but both of the interviewers were either apathetic or confrontational. The first interviewer seemed nice enough at first, probably a retired faculty member (MD), but he asked me repeatedly on ethical questions which I already responded in different ways. And sometimes I could not understand his questions clearly because of his manner of speaking, and when I asked that they be repeated he seemed to become impatient. The second interviewer (PhD) was worse, if that is possible--he said he does not look at the files until after the interview, and basically spent the half hour flipping through my application file and asking questions about it. There was no feeling of interest at all; I could almost see him looking at the clock--this was just a job he had to do. It is true, I could not show an overt interest in my wanting to come to Albany--the city or school. "
"I was expecting a very stressful interview from what people had written on this page, but it was very relaxed and conversational (for me at least - some people did come back from their interviews looking quite flustered). For the ethics questions I think they just want to see that you can think critically; identify issues, pros and cons of your stance (almost like talking it through so they can see your thought processes)."
"This is clearly a school that really cares about their interviews. They ask some difficult questions and may seem at times like they are either trying to confuse you or back you into a corner. A other schools that I have interviewed at ask the most brainless questions so that they can pride themselves as being a "low stess interview " school but you really come away wondering what the point of it all was. Albany really wants to see how well you handle being challanged, and although they may come across as being assholes to some people because of it, it is really important and I think speaks volumes about their selection criteria. If i had to give any advice to future interviewees, I would suggest making absolutely sure you are 100% confident as to your stance on all ethical/current healthcare issues because they will ask about them and if you're not prepared it can quickly turn into a nightmare."
"A decent school, with a good vibe from the faculty, admissions staff, and students. Having actually attended med school elsewhere, the students here really are more relaxed and altruistic than most. The facility is fine -- I like how the hospital is connected with to the med school. If I come here, it will be because of how awesome the people are, especially the staff and the faculty. Enjoyed the visit. Be prepared for a wide range of interviwers -- some are tough cookies and ask difficult ethical questions, others are super-cool behind their facade and will challenge you but also really do care about their interviewees."
"I also interviewed witht eh pediatric Neurologist that has become infamous on this board. The problem with him isn't so much the line of questioning, its the pace of the questioning. He's slow and a little depressing, which kind of wears you down (especially if its your second interview). Drink some coffee during the break between interviews and have plenty of well planned questions for him ready to fire. If your questins are stupid he will point out the stupidity of your questions. If you crack a joke he will laugh, and that will definitely help you. Be realistic as opposed to idealistic in his interview."
"Financial aid presentation, lunch with med students and had an opportunity to ask questions. Tour with med students then waited for 2 interviews. Some people had to wait around awhile for interviews, I was done very quickly however. It just depends on the schedules of the interviewers. "
"Great Experience! I had 2 very good interviews, not super relaxed, but definately not overly stressful. Was asked a lot of interesting questions and hypothetical situations that were actually fun to discuss. The people were definately friendly and tried to make you feel at home. Interviewers seemed interested in you and telling you about the school but not pushing it on you. All in all I had a great experience. "
"I put "no change" here because the school itself was ok, the students were great, but the interviews were HORRIBLE! This was definitely the worst interview experience I have had. After reading SDN, I was nervous about getting the pediatric neurologist (as were the other people interviewing!) and of course, I ended up with him! He was so incredibly negative about everything, talking to him was very unpleasant. The first thing he said was "medicine is a horrible field, why do you want to go into it?" He kept telling me to ask questions, so I asked if he liked Albany, to which he replied "I hate this city, I live far away where I can have my vegetable garden". He is the one who asks the famous cigarette question, which I also got. I think it is just luck of the draw though, some of the other people interviewing had laid-back and conversational interviews. I was relieved to find out that the other person interviewing who had the same guy felt the same way...we bonded over the horror stories of our interviews! But even if you get this guy, I wouldnt worry too much about it. I mean the 40 mins. that you are with him arent fun, but I dont think anyone could have a positive experience with him, so you just have to remember that it isnt you and this guy is just a jerk. Try not to get too flustered by his negative attitude and ethical questions. Other than the interviews themselves, the school was ok. The facilities are a bit old and there is WAY too much lecture time and not enough clinical exposure during the first two years, but the students were great and seemed to be happy there. "
"brief admission/financial aid presentation, two interviews, lunch, and tour. interviews weren't too bad...actually sort of enjoyed them because they made me think and not just spit back information. but still stressful nonetheless..."
"Albany isn't an ideal school nor environment, but it's a good backup school and people are friendly. "
"I had a GREAT experience interviewing at Albany Medical College. It is a very high quality school, with most students getting top residency choices. I would definitly go there if accepted."
"basically not good, oh and the cost is prohibitive"
"It was a great experience overall. I had an afternoon interview and the first hour or so was just spent sitting around and hanging out with other interviewees. My faculty interviewer was the pediatric neurologist that was mentioned before on this board. He wasn't as bad as they made him out to be but he did pose the infamous "cigarette" question. My student interviewer was a 3rd year and she was a total sweetheart."
"I was a little nervous about getting a bunch of ethical "what would you do" type questions, but I actually only got one in each interview, and they were both about my experiences with DNR/living will orders at the emergency dept I work at. A couple of other people I talked to got many ethical questions though, so I think it's just luck of the draw. Also, I stayed with a student, which was definitely worth it since there isn't great transportation aside from taxis within the city, and I don't think there are a ton of hotels in the immediate area."
"My best experience yet. I had two interviews, both which were very comfortable and conducive. I will say that one of my fellow interviewees looked somewhat traumatized by his first interview in which for every question the interviewer asked him, he was made to ask the interviewer a question back. Its luck of the draw, I guess. "
"This was a totally laid back experience. I was completely impressed by AMC."
"Before my interview I was not too excited about Albany. After visiting the school and meeting the students, however, I was very impressed with the school and think that I would really like it there. There is such a nice community. Also, the interviewers were very nice and easy to talk to. The tuition is high, but the cost of living is so low that students end up with the average debt for a private medical school education."
"Overall, it was okay. Interviews were pretty stressful, they basically tell you when they are going to get difficult and ask you tough questions. Make sure you know your ethics and health care and other than that try to stay calm during the scenario questions and you should do alright."
"It was held at HYMS in Hull, England. "
"Overall great experience and pretty low stress."
"My interview went really well. It was my first interview so I was really nervous going into it. My first interviewer was the sweetest lady in the world and just basically talked to me about things, rather than grill me with questions. She asked me some ethical questions, but more just worked them into the conversation rather than giving me the third degree. My second interviewer had a little more of a rigid structure with the questions she asked me, but she was still very sweet and made me feel comfortable. "
"relatively low-stress - my interviewers were both very laidback and I was asked only two ethics questions near the end of my second interview."
"the interview was pretty standard, although the first one was with a woman who was neither a PhD nor an MD. the second interview with the PhD was much more stressful, but more thorough."
"The whole experience was much better than I had expected. Albany is, well, Albany, but neither the school nor the city were particularly terrible. The city is very cheap to live in, which would balance out the costs for people who are looking at cheaper schools in more expensive areas. The infamous ethics questions were there, but they were interspersed with questions about yourself. Often, I didn't even recognize the ethics questions until I had begun to answer them. Overall, less stressful than I had been expecting."
"overall, went pretty well. The interview was not stressful at all and you shouldn't worry about it too much"
"I thought AMC was a great school for the right person. If you are looking for primary care, with low stress, and a very supportive faculty and student-body, this is your school. If you want something a little more fast-paced and research oriented, you might not like AMC. I thought it was a truly unique and special place. I would definitely be happy going there and Albany is a very nice, friendly, safe place to live as a student."
"This was the worst interview experience I ever had. This was my 7th interview!!! My first interview was with the admissions director (not a PhD or an MD). It was very dry. I could seem to be able to get a conversation going. She just wasn't having it! She kept looking away and fixing her scarf. It looked like she did not want to be there. She asked me about my experiences (pretty standard) and lots of ethical question (abortion, death, pvt... you name it... she covered everything). After this I thought the 2nd interview couldn't be worst than the 1st one. Boy was I wrong. The 2nd interviewer (an MD) was arguing with me. He was very confrontational. He kept asking circular questions!!! He ripped my answers apart and asked very detailed questions about ethics and healthcare. Anyway, I just remained calm and answered the best way I could. I was not nervous at all. But the guy was a total asshole. The students didn't seem to be very happy there. I liked the feel of the school but if the actual interview is any indication of how they treat their students I don't want to go there at all!!! They way it stands right now... It is my last choice. "
"Horrible. My first interviewer, a PhD, seemed like an ok guy. The second interviewer was a jerk. The third year student who accompanied was sweet tho."
"It was a positive experience overall. They tell you that Albany is known for ethics questions and it is true - at least in one interview I was asked a few ethics questions. My second iterview, we just talked about current affairs, Iraq and democracy...pretty interesting. I wasn't really impressed with the school itself to be honest, and I think my first interviewer must have sensed that...I quess that's why they put me on a waiting list."
"albany has a tradition of asking lots of ethical questions during the interview. be prepared by keeping up with current events and knowing what your positions are on touchy issues."
"Good day, first interviewer was VERY VERY friendly and outgoing. Both asked a lot of ethical and scenario questions."
"I had two interviews. One with a faculty member and a medical student (2 on 1) and another with just a medical student. The faculty member seemed uninterested in me at first but eventually gained interest as the interview progressed. Both medical students that I interviewed with were very easy to talk to."
"I said that there was no change in how the interview impressed me because I want to be fair: the school is really nice. The interviews themselves, though, sucked! Just make sure you rehearse some pretty answers to common ethical dilemmas and you'll probably be fine. "
"I had a good experience - I was asked a ton of ethical questions but nothing too crazy."
"I have to say that Albany surprised me. I didn't love the school, but I liked it much more than I thought I would. Students seemed happy with the education they were receiving."
"The interview experience on the whole was harmless. Beware though, Albany is known for ethical questions so prepare!"
"Positive overall. It snowed that same night..."
"My first interviewer was great. No ethic questions. He seemed genuinely interested in my personal background, family, and asked questions which mostly pertained to issues related to my personal statement. He was really interested in me as an applicant. I was expecting to be interviewed by a student for my second interview, but instead, it was a basic science faculty member along + a 3rd year student. Wasn't prepared for a 2 on 1... Maybe they've caught on to SDN so they are switching formats?"
"You had to ask alot of questions to get basic information. My two interviewers had very different styles. The first just rattled off questions - many of which were already posted here. The other wanted me to ask questions and then we had a lengthy discussion about health care. He was honest and frank about the strengths and weaknesses of the school which was refreshing. "
"good"
"This was my first interview as I applied very late in the process, but it ended up being a very positive experience. The staff and interviewers were interesting and friendly and seemed genuinely interested in my opinions and experiences. What I was most impressed with was the students and how happy they seemed here (unlike other schools I visited). Although I decided to stay in a hotel, I found the student welcoming committee meeting the night before to be very informative and helpful. Also, a good tip is to rent a car, it's actually cheaper than taking taxis to and from the airport and less stressful than having to rely on another person."
"Overall it was great, and I found out I was accepted a week later, very impressive how quick they were. Also about 2 weeks after my interview, one of my interviewers actually sent me a hand written letter!"
"Excellent experience. The interviewers aren't out to get you (unlike other places I've interviewed). They were interested in me as an applicant - a very warm, welcoming environment."
"Albany has a nice hollistic patient approach. The school's systems based teaching seems a good fit for my style of learning. The students are very involved with clubs and the school. The interviewers were relaxed and nice, despite the large number of ethics questions.The medical school and the hospital share space, making the hospital easily accessible by students. The doctors are all very open to being shadowed and there are many opportunities to be in the hospital (if you have time). The current students and my fellow applicants were all very friendly. The students seem to be well balanced and felt like they had time to have a life outside of school."
"Not at all a stressful experience. "
"Right off the bat it is the fact that they tell you right away wether or not you are accepted or rejected, and then there is the on hold crew. As for me I received quick and positive news. According to other students the school asks alot of ethical questions so be prepared, they only asked me one ethical question and it was not that difficult. There were alot of people interviewing it was a serious round up. When you are interviewing make sure and bring a book you will be waiting a long while, it was seriously like being at the doctors office. Remember its who you are that counts so relax, gees by all means relax."
"it was horrible......"
"I'm the type that can get really stressed over interviews, but this really was a great experience. The interviewers were very personable and easy to talk to, and they didn't grill me on any of my views (I made sure my views/arguments were well defended though). I walked out of the interview thinking that it went well, but unsure of how I did in relation to the others. (Nearly every other applicant said that they had smooth interviews too.) I found out just the other day though that I got in, so I guess it was better than I thought. "
"The day started w/ a continental breakfast and coffee/tea. We were greeted by an associate from the Admissions Office and taken to a conference room to discuss the application procedure. Unfortunately, most of the presentation consisted of facts being read off to us, such as how many students applied and were interveiwed over the last few years. We were then taken back to the lobby and interviewed as faculty became available. After two interviews, we met with some students for a quick lunch and tour of the school & hospital. We didn't get to see much, but had the opportunity to ask some more questions."
"The school doesn't impress me much. "
"I had 2 great interviewers who were both MD's. They were great but asked some very deep questions about the practice of medicine. I recommend being yourself, and be honest and truthful."
"On the whole, it went well. Nothing special. I agree with people who have said that AMC's lack of research is disappointing, but I must take issue with the person that said that AMC's students were ignorant of their hospital's trauma rating. The students were right: it *IS* a Level I trauma center, NOT Level III. I wasn't thrilled with the students, either, but if you're going to call them ignorant, you should at least know what you're talking about. (I don't think they are ignorant, I just wish they were more motivated. I've found the same at every school I've interviewed at so far, though.)"
"I had a really great time at Albany. I was very pleasantly surprised by my visit. Overall, I think that Albany is a great place for the right person, someone who is looking to become a physician and not a researcher. It was especially appealing to me because their focus is on treating patients and not on research. The faculty, administrators, and students that I met were very nice and enthusiastic. There seems to be a lot of focus on the students, they have a lot of opportunities."
"Overall, the experience was positive. The other interviewees were really nice. There were people from all over the country so that was interesting. The students we met also seemed to really like it there."
"except for the second interview the day went pretty smoothly, lunch was worse than most places, but was still free. "
"Students were nice. One interviewer was ok - The other one was into the stress interview, regardless of what the school says. I was flat out told that he would disagree & challenge everything I would say - this interview lasted for 1 1/2 hrs!!!"
"I had a good conversation with my interviewers, and the school accommodated us well."
"I think the students at this school are very happy. I like how they challenge you in the interviews. My advice for the ethical questions would be to relax, just take a side, and justify your answer."
"I really did not enjoy my visit to AMC. I've gone to enough interviews to know that the day will include a lot of waiting around, but this was ridiculous. I had to wait an hour for my first interview. When it finally began, I felt like the interviewer wasn't listening and didn't care what I had to say. Even though the interview was open file, he wouldn't look at it and kept making mistakes about my schooling, ECs etc. The whole time I kept wondering at what point I should stop correcting him. For my second interview, I had to wait 45 minutes. Finally, one of the faculty members who had walked past me half a dozen times asked the admissions staff if they had forgotten about me. They came out and told me that my 2nd interviewer was still reviewing my file, and that she liked to be meticulous. When the interviewer finally came to get me, she called me by the wrong name three times. Her review of my file must not have been too "meticulous". Both interviews were heavy on the ethical issues."
"This was definitely the worst interview experience I have had. My first interviewer did not show up and I waited in the waiting room for an hour. No one came out of the office to tell me that he had cancelled. I was still waiting for a first interview while others were shuffling off to their 2nd. When they did get someone, he ripped me apart. Nothing I said sat well with him and I could not get specific enough with my answers, no matter how hard I tried. He told me to go back and re-check all my sources with regards to my anwers about the healthcare system. They specifically told us that they do not do stress interviews, and this was clearly one! My second interviewer was just plain boring. No fun at all. I won't be attending Albany Med, even if they accept me."
"Both interviews were pretty laid back. The first was with a ethics specialist. I didn't get asked any difficult ethics questions, but I really dodged that bullet. it seemed like almost every one of the others did. not everyone gets the same interviewers. about halfway through the first interview, one of the current students stopped over to say goodbye to my interviewer. She had a baby with her and the interview stopped for a minute or two while everyone played with the baby. it was very very relaxed. the first interview lasted about 40 minutes. my second interview was approaching 5 p.m. it was with an intern who graduated from Albany Med. it was totally laid back. she talked a lot about what Albany had to offer. it was almost more like an information session than an interview. no really tough questions. very friendly, very convesational."
"For people who want to get in and get an MD, and do family practice, Albany is great. For people who want to be in a larger institution that gets funding from NIH, Albany sucks. The faculty members didn't impress me. They were really friendly, but I could tell that I wouldn't be happy here. I heard one guy was a prick and grilled some of the other applicants on ethics. "
"Incredibly comfortable. I had NO ETHICAL QUESTIONS! I would say my stress level was a little higher than it needed to be, considering I had been "cramming" for the ethical questions... It also helped that I already have an acceptance elsewhere, so I didn't feel like my future was riding on the interview. The interviewers actually seemed to be wooing me more than the other way around. But then, I've gotten to the point that I'm actually enjoying meeting other applicants, meeting faculty, meeting the interviewers... I guess practice does make perfect :)"
"I had one interview that was more traditional and one that was more conversational. Read this sight and you'll have a big heads up on the kinds of questions you will be asked. "
"Pretty ordinary. I was asked no difficult ethical questions. Both interviewers asked me almost the exact same questions, though the first was much more conversational. The student "welcome/introduction" the night before was disappointing (I wouldn't bother with it if I had to repeat the process)."
"some students interviewed in the morning, some in the afternoon. We all had lunch together and got a tour around the school by the medical students. Each student got two interviews. First one was more ethical questions while the second one was just good conversation"
"Overall it was good. My first one kind of grilled me on a lot of ethical questions and public policy issues. The second one was with a cute old doctor who talked more about the deer in his backyard than asking me questions."
"Good- the students and interviewers made me very excited about the school. Also, the informational session was ery helpful, they were straightforward about their decision making process."
"I found out about my Wednesday interview on Monday, so I had very little time to prepare. Overall, I liked the school and the facilities."
"The two students who led the tour were not particularly insightful. I had two 80 minutes interviews whereas most people in my group had two 30 minute interviews, which seemed a little ridiculous. The interviewers had only glanced over my file so I had to fill in everything that they didn't know."
"There's a good amount of waiting time, so bring some reading material. Expect 2 interviews, and not necessarily one from a student."
"Ok, but I am a big advocate of clinical time...and organization!"
"My first interviewer was well prepared and had read my personal statement. He was very interested in my personal life, good and bad. The second interviewer didn't seem to understand anything I was saying, very strange experience that one was."
"Overall the experience was positive. They seem to have a good program that the students are excited about. "
"There was a small group of students during this interview day (three of us). We started the day about 11:00 a.m. We met with the school's dean, who is very nice. Then we had lunch with two second year medical students, and these students also gave us a tour of the medical school. The students really enjoy the school. The school is older, but there are many advantages to going to this school: the school is in the same building as the hospital, the cost of living in Albany is very inexpensive, and the community is great for raising a family. The tuition is high because it is a private school. My first interview was in the hospital, while my second interview was in the admissions office. Both interviewers were very friendly, and asked a lot of questions about my background - know your application well (dates, locations, etc.). My second interviewer asked a lot of ethical questions, so make sure you are prepared. "
"I think it went really well. My first interviewer was really laid back but the second doctor try to trick me a little with ethical scenarios. Also my second interview was basically closed file because a secretary delivered my packet 3/4 through the interview. Just make sure you know your way around the ethics because Albany loves that! Just be yourself and don't let anyone make you stumble!!"
"Great interview experience. I had a faculty and a medical studnet interview me."
"I was not really excited about Albany when I applied, I just applied on the advice of my advisor, bur when I visited my opinion changed. I really liked it and was very happy when I received an acceptance. However, I have decided to attend another school. But don't sell Albany short- really take a good look! Good Luck!"
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 236 |
| Faculty member | 4 |
| Admissions staff | 8 |
| Other | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 111 |
| Neutral | 25 |
| Discouraging | 6 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.55 | 148 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 26 |
| Out of state | 115 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 18 |
| 2-3 hours | 37 |
| 4-6 hours | 38 |
| 7+ hours | 45 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 68 |
| Automobile | 53 |
| Train or subway | 17 |
| Other | 6 |
Naples
Albany Regional Airport
Albany (NY)
Albany International Airport
Albany airport
Albany
Albany (layover in Boston)
Albany International
BDL
JFK
ALB
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 0 |
| With students at the school | 25 |
| Friends or family | 12 |
| Hotel | 64 |
| Home | 4 |
| Other | 3 |
Yes
Yes
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 28 |
| $101-$200 | 19 |
| $201-$300 | 19 |
| $301-$400 | 18 |
| $401-$500 | 11 |
| $501+ | 18 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.66 | 157 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.15 | 159 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 4.99 | 156 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.31 | 88 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.11 | 90 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.89 | 84 |
"High"
"More outreach if possible"
"stop using webex and just use Zoom! Then, get a moderator to put people in the correct breakout room! It's 2021 not 1998"
"The admissions office was terrible to work with. Slow response and did not seem to care for its students."
"n/a"
"Stop doing MMI."
"Give a clearer idea of what kind of information/when we might receive regarding our application status post-interview"
"Better interview day presentation."
"Greet students when they come in instead of leaving them in the waiting area. Let students know if they will have 1 or 2 interviews."
"Have MD's conduct the interview. I do not understand why a PhD is questioning my abilities to succeed in medical school and in the future as a practicing physician when that person has neither gone through that type of training in order to fully understand the necessary qualities and/or practices in the field as a professional."
"I would be nice to know ahead of time if we have on eor two interviews. But thank you for the breakfast and coffee!"
"Very friendly and welcoming"
"None. I found everything to be excellent and well-organized."
"Very friendly and accommodating. Gets things done quickly."
"The guy who interviewed me had his license revoked by the state (Dr. Charles Kite - look it up)."
"Personally I thought the admissions office was great. They were really responsive to students, and g"
"Really great and very responsive-- no need for improvement"
"May be time for electronically printed correspondence; the old school ink stamps seem archaic."
"It would be really nice to have explicit directions and an address on the interview invite. There ar"
"You guys did a great job! Thanks for being so friendly to those of us there interviewing!"
"more info on the class size and more info on the folder"
"Uhh, send me an acceptance letter!"
"More information in the admissions folder would be great. But the admissions office staff is wonder"
"I think the interviewers need to take a step back and get to know the applicants, not just test them"
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How did you prepare for the interview?